


End of Me

by The Despaired Programmer (A_Dying_Wolf_Dying_With_Dignity)



Series: End of Us [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mastermind, Coercion, Dancing and Singing, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Mental Instability, Multi, Psychotropic Drugs, Repressed Memories, Suicide Attempt, Talentswap, Trans Character, Transphobia, past bullying, power of suggestion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-05-02 09:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5242619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Dying_Wolf_Dying_With_Dignity/pseuds/The%20Despaired%20Programmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are endless alternate universes tied together, each possessing their own timelines showing the differences in between choices and challenges and more. What does this mean? Obviously, it means somewhere in another universe, the people we know and love may take on different challenges, and perhaps different talents.</p><p>Hope and despair are embodied into different sets of people in a new universe and talents are exchanged between the same people. Chihiro Fujisaki becomes the new embodiment of Super High School Level Good Luck, and someone else takes on the form of the mastermind, Super High School Level Despair. With Chihiro's memories clinging on to a traumatizing past, however, what will become of her and her friends as a new game in the infamous School of Mutual Killing begins?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue(?) - A Shred of Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be much longer, I promise, as this is only the prologue.

"I wish to be good, I truly do. However..."

The knife in the small hand, clutched by quivering fingers, gleamed when the ceiling lights hit the side. The light bounced off and was moved back and forth so it alternated between the two lone people. Both looked terrified of the knife that could be used to take out either of them. 

"What if they're right? What if there really is no hope for me?"

If only someone could open the windows. Just to open the windows and let some air in would be a nice change from breathing in the recycled oxygen they were confined to living with. To feel the wind travel through their hair and fingers, to know that the outside world was not torn apart from them - was that too much to ask for?

"Hey, it doesn't have to be this way! You don't have to listen to what they say!"

"Don't think I don't know that."

The wielder of the knife watched as the other's eyes widened. "If you understand, why do you have that with you? Can't you just put it down?"

"'Put it down', huh? I wish doing that would be as easy as you saying it." A smile laced with the despair that had been manifesting inside was formed. Tears welled up in that pair of dull eyes that were usually bright and shining. "They're right, though... I'm disgusting, being what I am. In the end, they were only telling me right from wrong. If only they were here so I could thank them." 

"No, that's not true! They want this to happen. They want you to think that because they want to see you turn on the rest of us."

"Actually... you've got that wrong... I'm only turning on myself."

The knife was raised over the head of the wielder. The other tried to dash over in an attempt to take it away, but it became a pointless chase around the classroom, through the rows of the student desks, until the wielder finally took the chance to stand up on top of the desk built for the teacher's. Again, the knife was raised.

"I wished to be good, I truly did. However..." The despairing smile remained on _her_ face, tears rushing down _her_ reddened cheeks from _her_ puffy eyes. "My chance at hope has been long gone."

Finally, the knife descended quickly towards _her_ stomach, _her_ guest crying out _her_ name.

"STOP!!! CHIHIROOOOOOO!!!"

 

 

You see, the world is a balance of hope and despair. It's always been that way. Had whatever god there is up there given up Their hope on humanity long ago, we wouldn't all be here, now would we? Then that god would be building us up in another universe. This time, we would be brought up differently, given new skills we may not have acquired in our other lives. Who knows, maybe They've already done it. Maybe They've redone all of our lives over a hundred times because too much despair overbalanced the hope this god had for us.

Despair, now that's an interesting word. Pronounced _di'sper_ , though some of us tend to pronounce the prefix as "deh" instead of "dih". As a noun, it means "the complete loss or absence of hope", and as a verb it's "to lose or be without hope". The noun comes from the Anglo-Norman French translation of the Old French word _desespeir_ , the verb from Old French _desperer_ , the entire meaning from the Latin word _desperare_ , from de- meaning "down from" and _sperare_ meaning "to hope". It went through a lot of changes to become that one we're all familiar with, now didn't it?

It defies hope, it's opposite. Pronounced _hōp_ , meaning "the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen" as a noun and "wanting for something to happen or to be the case as a verb". They come from the late Old English words _hopa_ and _hopian_ , with Germanic origins, and relating to the Dutch _hoop_ , _hopen_ , and the German _hoffen_. There's not much to work with about the word, but we do know that it's a word that is pressed into everybody's vocabulary when they start learning to babble the slightest bit of coherent speech.

Which side would you choose now? Do you wanna throw confetti or desecration over the concept of hope? Do you wanna honor or despise the equally inevitable concept of despair? Eh, whatever you bastards choose, you're all lucky I've decided to be patient this time around!

None of you will see it coming, anyways. Upupupupu...


	2. Goodbye, Life As I Knew It (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part One of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> Sixteen skilled students, sent to transiently stay in a sizable setup. Let's insert a lone lady who looks to luck into links with the others before the welcoming ceremony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will be long, but not as long as this turned out. I honestly did not realize how much I wrote for this one chapter until I finished, and this is only exposition.

It started with suddenly jolting awake, a small shiver up the girl's spine telling her mind that something was wrong and her physical self needed to experience it. Upon instinct, she lifted her hands towards her face to move strands of light brown hair away. She groggily let her eyelids flicker open, revealing gentle hazel eyes as she lifted her head so she could rub the sleep away from them and allow them to adjust to the dim lighting of the room she woke up in.  

_Where am I?_ she asked herself.

As it turned out, according to the slight ache in her right side, she was lying sideways on a long hardwood desk standing before rows of smaller ones. Turning to first lie on her back, she then sat up to look about what was shown to be a classroom. There were ceiling lights but they were not on, explaining why there was still darkness. Small lights shone from their places as bars above the chalkboard, as well as lamps placed on the walls, including one between two large...

_Iron plates?_

Indeed, she was staring at iron plates bolted with large screws over what must be the windows. She carefully slid off the teacher's desk to inspect the plates further. When she placed her hands on either side of one screw and tried to twist her arms, she did not succeed in making it budge. She sighed in defeat. Her arms being thin and lacking in muscle, she wondered why she even tried to do that.

She continued her search about the classroom until she realized there were words scrawled onto the pine green chalkboard underneath a poorly drawn picture of what must be a building. It did not take her long for her to decipher what they read:

_Welcome to the school. A new semester has begun. As you begin yer new lives here, this school will be yer new world for you to explore. The welcoming ceremony begins half past eight in the gymnasium, so be there at eight._

She looked above the chalkboard and found a clock close to the ceiling. She had approximately fifteen minutes until this "welcoming ceremony" and she still had no idea how she got into this classroom in the first place. Deciding to investigate some more, she timed herself to look around for another five minutes. Overall nothing seemed wrong about the room other than that she was the only one occupying it. There was also the difficulty of figuring out whether it was currently eight in the morning or at night, for she had no windows to look out of in hopes of replying on what the sky is like outside. She was already missing it.

Another thing she already understood the moment she woke up was that she was inside a school. The message on the chalkboard confirmed her suspicions despite how simple they were. She checked the time and saw that another two minutes passed, three now remaining. It would be best for her to wipe off the chalk, given she was the only one present.

Next to the eraser she found a relatively medium-sized object wrapped and tied tightly in fabric. First she hurried to wipe away as much of the chalk as she could on her own and with the help of the stool behind the teacher's desk. Then she cautiously poked the object and, upon seeing that it should be safe to hold, grasped it in her right hand. There were indentations along the sides which allowed her to hold it firmly without it slipping. Again she looked up at the clock to find that cleaning up and her new discovery ate away the last three minutes she gave herself.

The door to the hallway felt slightly heavy at first, but she was able to push it to one side before she stepped out of the classroom. Her shoes tapped the black and white-checkered tiles along the way down the hall. She was making immediate guesses as to which corners to turn on and which paths to take, and each decision felt right to her both in her gut and in her mind. It was as if her body and her mind were separated at that moment and she was letting her body go wherever it pleased.

Before her eyes soon appeared the closed dual-doored entrance into the area labeled "Gymnasium" at the top. She walked closer, making her footsteps as quiet as possible by moving on her toes, until she was right in front of the handles. She pressed the palm of her left hand and the wrapped object still in her right hand against them and listened carefully.

Voices. There were voices on the other side of the doors. It relieved her to know that she was not going to be alone in this already frightening school. She looked down at herself for the first time since she woke up to check what she was wearing. Her ensemble seemed simple enough - dark green jacket with a white dress shirt underneath, a brown skirt with matching suspenders, black socks that reached below her knees, and white low-heeled dress shoes. She clearly remembered wearing this before she blacked out and was taken here, however that situation went down. Placing the neatly wrapped object in a pocket inside her jacket, she placed her hands on the handles once more and opened the doors.

Fifteen people in total were already waiting inside. All of their eyes turned towards her upon her entrance. Some of them turned away to return to their own actions while others kept watching her. Nervousness taking over from the pressure of being watched, she clutched at her at parts of her skirt to dry away the sweat accumulating in her tiny palms.

"P-Pardon my intrusion," she spoke up, internally cursing herself for her stuttering. "I-I-Is this where the w-welcoming ceremony is supposed to take place?"

"That's kind of weird to ask," a male voice responded. She could hear footsteps coming her way as she got a look at who was approaching her. "You probably can't help it, though. We're all just as confused as you are." The boy who came up front had red hair that she could tell was obviously dyed spiked up in a punk-ish style, with many piercings on his right ear and one on his chin above his equally red goatee. He wore an expensive-looking black suit with a red button-up dress shirt underneath, a pair of gold cuff links with a familiar cursive K sticking out.

_Hey... I remember these people from that one website!_ she realized in her head. Her eyes widened. _Then that means...!_

"Oi, oi, are you okay?" The redhead leaned a bit closer and waved his hand in front of her face until she finally blinked after a few seconds of shock. He grinned awkwardly, the right corner of his mouth stretching farther. "I'm guessing you recognize me now?"

"Y-Yes, I do, K-Kuwata-"

"C'mon," he interjected, "we're more or less the same age. Leon is just fine with me."

**_Name: Leon Kuwata_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Heir_ **

Leon Kuwata's family is the masterminds behind the franchising business for the Nippon Professional Baseball league. However, what made Leon special among most heirs around Japan was the fact that he invested in creating and even managing his own baseball team within the league. His quick thinking and his knowledge on baseball players and the sport itself have made his team the most successful in the country, granting him a considerable amount of fortune. The heads of the Kuwata family, impressed by his independent work, chose to make him the heir to their own fortune among his other relatives.

"Excuse me, but I do believe the young lady was trying to speak before you interrupted her."

A visibly overweight boy with black hair and small circular spectacles made his way to stand beside Leon. He donned a pristine white uniform with gold buttons from the elbows to the cuffs of the sleeves and down the chest, followed by a pair of black knee-length boots. Upon the left side of his chest was a small red and gold medal. The kanji writing on the armband on his left arm seemed to read "Public Morals".

"I do believe she deserves an apology, Leon-dono," he pressed on.

"Oh, that w-won't be necessary, b-but thank you," the girl assured him, including a small smile. "He was simply telling me what he prefers to be called... I should ask, what should I refer to you as?"

The boy nodded. "From how our situation appears to be, we may as well begin forming bonds now! I don't mind being referred to by my first name, as long as it is within my fellow classmates' best interests."

"How nice of you, then, Hifumi."

**_Name: Hifumi Yamada_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Hall Monitor_ **

This boy began working his way up since elementary school, from what she heard and read about him. Sacrificing hobbies and anything else recreational in exchange for study sessions and good grades, not only has he been the one of the top pupils at his junion high, but he has also held a well-deserved reputation as president of the student council. He added this on to also being part of the disciplinary committee in which he enforced the rules and ensured the safety of his schoolmates to the best of his abilities. He was so well known in this sense that it did not matter about his size. What mattered was that his leadership and teamwork skills were exceptional enough to give him his current title.

Hifumi blinked in surprise. "Do you perhaps know my name from the Hope's Peak Academy website, milady?"

She nodded. "I recognize everyone here. I hope I will be able to get along with both of you and the rest of us here for as long as we're here. We still don't know how we all ended up here, do we?"

"Yeah, that's right," Leon agreed. "Hifumi and I'll let you go introduce yourself to the others."

The other brought his hand up to salute her. "And please, feel free to converse with us any time once we sort out our situation!"

With a giggle, she walked away, looking towards the other people who she wanted to identify. Just then did she spot two girls having what seemed to be a casual conversation with each other. One had her long strawberry blonde hair pulled up in a set of pigtails, wearing a lacy green and white bow on either side, which went well with her white blouse and the green vest over it as well as her black miniskirt. Adorning the lower half of her body was a set of black see-through garter-belt leggings and a pair of white low-heeled boots that reached her knees. The girl across from her had a black shoulder-length bob and freckles and wore a dark gray tang top, matching fingerless gloves, black spandex shorts, and a pair of black and white wrestling shoes. Her forearms, shins, and neck were wrapped up in white bandages. Both had icy blue eyes, though the latter's were more narrow, as well as similar head shapes.

"Hello, how are you?" the brunette walked up and asked them, grabbing their attention. "What do you think about our predicament?"

"I think whoever knocked us out must've used sleep narcotics or gas," the former explained her opinion, a hand on her hip. "Y'see, it takes a lot to knock out my sister here; only lost three matches, but that was _wayyyy_ before her career."

"You can tell she knows that already," the latter bit quietly but loud enough to be heard. Relaxing her shoulders, she softened her gaze when she turned to the girl now before them. "Anyways, I agree with my sister. Not only am I resistant towards drugs as well as physical pain, but my sister is always keenly alert, a skill of hers that is useful in her... field."

**_Name: Junko Enoshima_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Gambler_ **

**_Name: Mukuro Ikusaba_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Fighter_ **

Not much is stated about Junko Enoshima, other than that she is especially widely known in the "financial underworld". Rumors have it that she has never lost a single gamble since her late elementary years when Bullshit became the first card game she learned. She and her twin sister Mukuro faced being homeless at a young age after their parents died, so she used her gambling skills and risk-taking attitude to earn money and used her winnings to build up a new life for the both of them.

As for Mukuro Ikusaba, she was known all over Japan and even beyond that. While Junko worked in the shadows, the older twin of the duo signed herself up for local junior martial arts matches. They used any money they had on the side to fund her training up to the point she succeeded in becoming one of the strongest known people in the country. She competed in both national and international championships, always receiving high scores and bright medals and trophies to take home. No one really knows why their last names were different, but the best theory was that Ikusaba was just a stage name.

The girl before them stared in awe. She was meeting people with all kinds of backgrounds in one room that she was still trying to process it all. Mukuro seemed hostile but not too hostile towards her, whereas Junko seemed nearly completely relaxed. "Nearly", as in she could tell she was eyeing her with intrigue. Bowing politely, she took her leave to let them return to their conversation.

She was about to look around to become acquainted with someone else when she heard loud shouting.

"J-Just get off my b-b-back already!"

"Then why don't you get off of mine?!"

She and the others immediately turned towards the source of the voices to find two girls glaring at each other and in a starting fighting stance. The girl on the left was dressed in a burgundy leather jacket with a white shirt peeking underneath, matching sneakers, white jeans, and a dark-colored choker on her neck. Her dark purple hair was tied up into two long braids and her light silvery eyes were framed by what appeared to be a larger version of Hifumi's circular glasses. As for the other, she wore a camouflage jumpsuit, something less of the average tactical combat version, and black shin-length combat boots. Several white hair clips kept her dark blue bangs out of her face, noticeably her large lighter blue eyes, while the rest of her hair was done into a bun.

"I-I-If you'd just s-stopped asking me questions I-I didn't wanna answer, I wouldn't h-have to deal with staring at you!" the girl with the braids seethed.

_**Name: Touko Fukawa** _

_**Specialty: Super High School-Level Gang Leader** _

"Like I'd let you get away easily," the other girl responded. "Besides, all I was asking for was some simple information. It's _you_ who got all riled up!"

**_Name: Sayaka Maizono_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Soldier_ **

"Nosy muck!"

"Drama queen!"

"Mind if I ask what the argument is about?" the brunette asked. Both girls turned to her, making her shrink where she stood but also making them calm down.

The girl the brunette recognized as Touko Fukawa snarled. She curled her body away until her left shoulder was towards the other two, looking away from the both of them. "I-I was just minding my own business... w-w-when this camo-freak came up to me and b-bombarded me with questions I didn't want to answer!"

Sayaka Maizono, the girl in the camouflage jumpsuit, folded her arms. "All I wanted to know was if she had any weapons on her," she explained calmly. "I mean, she's the SHSL Gang Leader, she's gotta have some."

"Don't you think she was still uncomfortable? If she doesn't wish to reveal something that may make her seem too dangerous, no matter what her title is, then for now we should respect that."

"Whaddya mean, 'for now'?!" Touko yelled. She turned towards her and stepped closer. "I-I-I see how it is now. You just w-want me to f-fuck off, 'cause no one wants an u-ugly thing like me to be around for too l-long."

Eyes widened, she shook her head. "No, that's not what I-"

"Too bad, missy! If y-you think ugly is that c-c-contagious, let me spread my germs! Hope you die from them!"

Touko growled and threw her hands out in front of her. The force of just her palms against the other's thin chest made the latter fall to the floor. She was about to pounce when someone showed up and held her from behind. Mukuro then came to stand between the two while Junko helped the brunette back onto her feet and dusted her skirt off.

"Now, that's not how you treat a girl, and you should know!" shouted the person holding Touko back. It turned out to be a tall boy who appeared to be more of a man than a boy. His outfit was fairly simple, consisting of a yellow jersey, a dark green long sleeve underneath, white pants, and black shoes with spikes on the bottom. His dark brown hair was extremely long and spiky, pulled back into a large ponytail. "Come on, calm down already! You're only making this worse for yourself, y'know."

**_Name: Yasuhiro Hagakure_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Baseball Player_ **

All three whom the girl just met were all famous, though Touko Fukawa was also equally infamous. The story was that in middle school, each of her boyfriends cheated on her with other girls in both jUnion high and high school, some who turned out to be the same girls every time. When everyone realized this, the girls developed hate towards these boys and joined together to make them pay for their actions, forming the Wild Lillies. Touko, being one of the first of the girls, became the leader of the group and they went around to make sure no people's emotions were mistreated like theirs were. Their intentions were good but their way of carrying them out was what made them feared by some and loved by others. Some questioned how Touko could be the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs with her insecurity and paranoia, leading to making quick accusations, but word has it that she is never herself when she is put into a fight, making her nearly as strong as Mukuro Ikusaba herself.

Sayaka Maizono did not have much written under her profile. Instead of going to a junior, she joined a group of mercenaries in the Middle East for a time until her father managed to make contact with her, demanding for her return for high school. Her role in the group was kept secret until she retired, in which she acted as the main spy, using her looks to gain what she wanted when going undercover. She supposedly always keeps at least two knives on her being at all times, but she apparently only uses them for self defense. When interviewed, she stated that she was actually glad she got to leave the mercenaries despite not leaving her identity as a soldier. She said she planned on focusing more on military politics after graduation.

Finally, there was Yasuhiro Hagakure. He was the star pitcher and batter who brought his junfor high and previous high school's baseball teams to victory in junior league championships for the time he was there, and he had been there for quite a long time. Because of his recklessness, he got held back a couple years for breaking school property more than once, and the pattern continued even when he finally got into high school; according to the website, he is now supposed to be in his early twenties. What made him especially popular amongst most baseball prodigies was that he rarely attended any of the team practices and his skills would still be impeccable.

"Hey, that fall wasn't bad, right?" Junko asked, making the brunette snap out of her analysis. She quickly nodded, making the other grin. "Good. You should meet the others while the rest of us take care of Miss Moody."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yeah! There's still several people you haven't met yet. Go on now! Good girl!"

She was gently patted on the back, away from the dying commotion to the remaining people she still did not recognize yet. As soon as she was alone, she had crane her neck back and take a few steps back to look at who she nearly bumped into.

The long silvery white hair and noticeable chest size past all of that muscle told her that this was definitely a girl. She wore a white blouse and a dark violet skirt, over it a long, long-sleeved cardigan of the same color, white knees socks, and black dress shoes, all which covered her tanned skin. Although she was most likely the tallest person here as well as the most muscular, giving her an intimidating appearance, she had a gentle expression upon her face which matched her gentle smile.

"I apologize if I got in your way," she said.

"No, you did nothing wrong at all!"

"Ah, then we are still at an even standing. I am-"

"Sakura Oogami?"

"That is correct. I believe you've looked at the website?"

"That is correct."

**_Name: Sakura Oogami_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Fortune Teller_ **

"Miss Sakura-"

"Please, as we are at an even standing, it is best we honor it. You do not have to make it seem we are uneven."

"So... Sakura... It's nice to meet you. I've heard that you are a very gifted fortune teller. Do you perhaps have an idea as to how we all ended up here?"

Sakura hummed, folding her arms and closing her eyes. "I oftentimes have visions of the future, but those of the past are rare. I can imagine, though, that only the sixteen of us were brought here for a reason. Why else would there be no one else in our presence?"

"Maybe they haven't arrived yet?"

"... No, we are indeed the only ones in this school."

Her guess had to be taken into account,even if it was just a guest. Although she is said and is confirmed to be a talented clairvoyant, she has been labeled as a simple fortune teller for better understanding by the public. Those with this special sight like her are to have a thirty-percent accuracy rate, the highest known to man, but many believe that she might have that greater than others. With the help of her crystal ball, which can be seen weighing down one side in her cardigan's pocket, she is to be one of the youngest seers alive.

"Sakuraaaaaa!! Who's thaaaaaat?!"

From behind Sakura popped a tall, slender girl with dark brown hair in a swirly bun and energetic blue eyes. She donned a navy blue dress in which the skirt possessed frills, along with a white bolero cardigan, a matching belt around her waist, black stockings, and navy blue flats. A white ribbon tied into a bow decorated her hair in the back of where her bun swirled upwards. Black diamond studs adorned her ears and thin gold ring bracelets with a single row of three black diamonds were on each wrist.

With a wide smile, she grabbed the lighter brunette's hand and shook it. "You're so cute! Anyways, I'm Aoi Asahina, but calling me Hina or Aoi is just fine!"

**_Name: Aoi Asahina_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Idol_ **

If anyone was the most famous here, it had to be Aoi Asahina, otherwise known as Hina-chan by her loyal fans. Her five-person idol group, Crystal Drops, is very popular for its mix of different sorts of pop and rock music with Hina as the leader. An interview about a brief look into her childhood revealed her motive behind becoming an idol; as a child, she adored how the idols she watched on television made other people smile and feel better about themselves, and so she was determined to be able to make people smile through her own hard work. Her group's upbeat songs with a few ballads in the mix made them famous all over Japan. News has it that they are preparing to compete in an international competition against idols from around the world.

"This is the newest and last of the newcomers," Sakura explained. "She has been getting along with the others and gathering information about our current predicament."

The idol's eyes lit up. "Ooh, you must be super smart to be able to gather info and sum it all up into one conclusion! Alright, it's official: You and Sakura and I should totally become partners in crime!" She grabbed both of the shorter girl's hands, staring into her eyes. "We'll crack the mysteries behind this place. Wouldn't that be, like, super cool?"

Overwhelmed by Hina's outgoing outbursts, the girl was at a loss for words. She did not have to say anything, though, because a scoff interrupted the excitement. All three turned to meet a head of blond hair and a frown, dressed in a gray suit and cross-tie and black dress shoes, his eyes framed by rectangular-framed glasses. His stare felt as if it was strong enough to bore holes into them.

"Girls," he huffed, folding his arms. "They can be so naive, it's almost painful to watch." Hina sent back a glare, but he remained unaffected. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?"

"Do not start another argument, please," Sakura said. "I'm sure we would all rather not cause any disruption after the balance was just settled."

"Tch, it wasn't like I was going to start anything in the first place. I was simply stating my opinion."

"Your two cents are unappreciated," Hina muttered. He said nothing else, only looking away.

**_Name: Byakuya Togami_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Fashion Model_**

Like Hina, Byakuya Togami was known for partaking in a certain style of art, though he was part of the fashion world. With his parents as his own agents, he began his modeling career by the end of elementary school. Girls all over Japan were drawn to him by his looks while guys envied him. However, he also attracted unwanted attention as he got older, namely stalkers and intolerable paparazzi, and so it was hard for him to find privacy. It was understandable why he would not want to be around any of them at this time, even if it was unintentional for everyone. Therefore as good looking as he was, the brunette still could not get over his attitude, but she believed it could be justified.

Not sure that she wanted to try to start a conversation with him, for she thought they would not get anywhere, she left Hina and Sakura to meet those whom she had yet to be introduced to. She walked about until she caught sight of four people standing together, two boys and two girls. After them, she only needed to find that one last person.

The first to look up and lock eyes with her was a girl with giant black curls separated into pigtails. Her outfit consisted of a frilled beige blouse, a vintage black, high-waisted salopette skirt, a matching colored cape around her shoulders, thigh-high black stockings, and red Mary Janes. What was more noticeable, however, was her darker brown necktie with its red-outlined butterfly pattern, along with a silver claw-like ring on her index finger.

In the midst of their eye contact, the latter smiles. "My, what a pretty face you've got there," she coos teasingly, making the former blush. She brought a hand up as she giggled. "Don't be shy. If you wish to strike a conversation with us, go right ahead."

**_Name: Celestia Ludenberg_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Detective_ **

Given her title as a detective, it was a given that Celestia Ludenberg's profile would have the least amount of information online. All that was known was her reputation. She began her investigating career during junior high, as that was the age most of the Ludenberg family members became detectives. She is said to be brightest of them all so far and supposedly has solved more crimes than most of her older relatives and even going farther into earlier generations. After that, the rest of her life is shrouded in mystery.

"Alright, Miss Celestia-"

"Celes. Celestia is already quite a mouthful."

"Right. Anyways, Celes, I believe your thoughts may lead to a trustworthy guess as to what's become of us all?"

She tapped her index finger against her chin, the tip of her silver "claw" poking her, though she did not seem to mind this. "Based on what we all may have observed so far, there is currently no way for us to escape manually, or rather at least on our own. All we know now from what other people said was that everyone woke up in different classrooms at different times and there have been patches of iron screwed to the walls where windows must be. This school has been set up as some sort of permanent lockdown or confinement facility."

"Let's not also forget the fact that everyone's stories so far are all the same thing - we were entering the front grounds to Hopes Peak Academy when we suddenly became unconscious," another girl spoke up. She stood beside Celes with her arms folded across her chest. Her lavender hair was pulled back into a long ponytail while there seemed to be some strands forming a braid along with it. She wore a pair of sleek black spandex capris and a white workout poncho that exposed a pair of orchid-colored straps on her shoulders, followed by a pair of indigo running shoes. Strangely, she wore a pair of black gloves over her hands. "Afterwards, this led to waking up in those classrooms and ending up here."

**_Name: Kyoko Kirigiri_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Swimmer_ **

While Aoi Asahina and Byakuya Togami were known for their art-centered careers, Kyoko Kirigiri was famous for her swimming abilities. After playing and excelling in a multitude of other sports, she settled with competitive swimming, which has landed her with all kinds of awards and recognition, as well as even training to one day compete in the Olympics. Her calm, collected attitude and modesty towards acknowledging her success has made her well-liked among other female athletes striving to make it big like her, making her out to be a suiting role model on good sportsmanship and hard work. Not only is she a remarkable athlete, but she is also an intelligent student, as evidenced by her own observations even if they were simple recaps.

"So, Kyoko, are you saying we are in Hopes Peak Academy?" the brunette asked, receiving a nod in response. She hummed and folded her hands together, intertwining her fingers.

Now that she thought about it, this place being the prestigious high school she was meant to attend did make sense. The last thing she remembers before waking up was having a heavy dizzy spell while walking through the front gate. It also explained why she recognized everyone from the school's website.

"I concur with Celes and Kyoko's judgement!" exclaimed a male voice.

"And if Kyoudai agrees, so do I!" shouted another.

Two boys stood beside each other, the taller resting his elbow on the shorter's shoulder. The taller one's hair was his most noticeable feature, dark brown hair with a lighter brown, large pompadour, while the other's was black and spiked up. Both wore similar outfits including a thin jacket, t-shirts underneath, denim jeans, and what looked to be comfortable sneakers. What made them contrast was that the former's shirt was black and the jacket was a light gray. Meanwhile, the latter had a white t-shirt and a black jacket.

**_Name: Mondo Oowada_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Author_ **

**_Name: Kiyotaka Ishimaru_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Doujin Artist_ **

As evidenced by their comfortable positions and speech towards each other, Mondo Oowada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru were already friends. Kiyotaka used to be bullied in elementary school for his somewhat unhealthy obsession with watching anime and reading manga until Mondo stepped up and defended him. From then on he would accompany him as a body guard, and that was when their friendship began, referring to each other as "Kyoudai", their way of saying they were brothers. Mondo surprised people with his ability to write amazing stories about deepening friendships and family bonds, for most would have gotten the idea that he was not even able to read, and Kiyotaka began designing doujinshi for his favorite anime and manga. They both became hits as they worked together as a team to give each other ideas and support. There are even plans for them to collaborate on one day creating their own light novel and manga series together.

Kiyotaka, the black-haired artist, stepped closer to the new girl, prompting Mondo to let his arm fall back to his side. She gulped and stood nervously as she was analyzed by both of them. She wondered what was going on through both of their minds, which was answered when Kiyotaka placed his left fist in his opened right palm.

"This young lady shall be the heroine of our series, Kyoudai!" Immediately, she paled, but he did not seem to notice. "Just imagine: a small girl with big potential, but is unaware of that herself. One day, she discovers this potential in the form of magic. She, along with friends she makes along the way, goes through a journey of finding herself and uses her magic to bring hope to the world!"

"I think you watching _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_ before coming here put too much influence on your brain, Kyoudai," Mondo chuckled. "Basing a character off of someone we just met is kind of a rushed decision, too."

"Hm, I suppose you're right. This then means that we must get to know the young lady more, starting with her name!" He turned to her. "May we ask for your name? In exchange, you may refer to me as Taka for short."

She relaxed at the simple question. "Of course, Taka. I'm-"

" _You're the Super High School-Level Good Luck, aren't you?_ "

All four turned around, finding a pair of washed-out brown eyes watching them, the brightness of those eyes matching his kind, friendly smile. His light brown hair was spiky and had a cowlick on the top. The outfit he wore was simple - a dull green hoodie that had red and white streaks representing a computer circuit board design, white headphones around his neck, black jeans, and green sneakers.

Taka stepped out of the way for the boy to come through. He held out a hand which she took, both giving a polite shake. "Nice to meet you. As for myself, my name is-"

"Makoto Naegi, Super High School-Level Programmer," she finished his sentence. "There, now we're even since we interrupted each other."

His warm smile widened. "Good to know."

**_Name: Makoto Naegi_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Programmer_ **

Makoto Naegi came from an average family and average life, but in his early junfor high years did he discover his gift with programming. Computers were easy to figure out as well as easy to fix, so he became popular for his helpfulness when someone had a technological problem, whether they be a fellow student or even an adult. With permission from his school's board members, he designed programs that would benefit other students' access to education. His contribution to his jUnion high got him hired to work as a software engineer.

"You two are absolutely not even!" Taka said matter-of-factly. "Makoto, you may have said your name, but the young lady did not get a chance to reveal her own!"

The brunet in question's cheeks lit up from embarrassment and guilt. "Really?! I didn't realize that until now!" He stared at the girl straight in the eyes. "I'm so sorry for being rude!"

"Oh, it's no big deal," she assured him.

Once he was calm, he folded his hands together, his thumbs twiddling nervously. "Then... maybe you can introduce yourself properly? I already said your title, though."

She nodded. "My name is Chihiro Fujisaki."

**_Name: Chihiro Fujisaki_ **

**_Specialty: Super High School-Level Good Luck_ **

There are many things to know about this girl, but the school's website only covers the basics. Chihiro Fujisaki was part of the nationwide lottery in which one student would be chosen from anywhere in Japan to attend Hope's Peak Academy. Her winning this random lottery gave her the title of SHSL Good Luck, for the headmaster of the school believed good luck should be considered a talent. She then had to prepare to attend the school as a student of the 78th class. The people around her are supposed to be part of her class as well.

When she recognized Makoto before her from that website, she honestly felt a pang of jealousy. Her father Taichi is a software engineer at the same company Makoto was hired for. The two were close to the point where Taichi taught his daughter everything he knew about technology over the course of her childhood. She one day even poked around on his computer and set up a question-answering program by herself, which resulted in praise from him and her mother. Taichi was so proud that he allowed her to work with him at the company, but she could only work part-time because there was apparently another middle school student as brilliant as her taking up what could have been her spot.

In other words, Makoto Naegi unintentionally stole her opportunity, but she did not feel too bad about it. She began working on her own special program as soon as she heard from her father that he would be attending Hope's Peak Academy in an attempt to prove herself to both the company and to the school. Had she not been chosen as SHSL Good Luck, she would have liked to be recognized as the talented programmer not many people knew her as.

"'Scuse me, are you okay?"

Chihiro blinked, realizing that she had been staring at Makoto with slightly narrowed eyes. He must think she already disliked him, evidenced by the look of guilt on his face and of confusion as to what he did wrong. She balled her hands into small fists before looking away.

"I'm fine," she told him. She looked around to see the other four watching her. "Really, I am. He just brought some memories of mine back to my mind, is all."

As soon as her lips shut, the speakers in the gymnasium echoed with a squeaky voice. "Eh... Ah! Mic test! Mic test! Check, check, one, two, three!" Everyone looked about from where they stood in search of who was speaking. "You can all hear me? Good, 'cause it's about time we begin the welcoming ceremony!"


	3. Goodbye, Life as I Knew It (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Two of the Blessings Arc**
> 
>  
> 
> From the two-toned bear introducing himself as the school's "headmaster", to his proposal about the students' current situation, to the investigation of the academy, Chihiro and her friends try to understand what is happening to them and what they should do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually finished on Monday but preparing for finals next week kept me from posting it before today oops

_Is that... a stuffed bear?_

The bear had come out from behind the podium on top of the stage. The body was split vertically - a white right side and a black left side, the muzzle and belly area remaining white and untouched by the split. The white right side was designed with a classic teddy bear expression. As for the black left side, a chaotic vibe was given off by the red jagged slash of an eye and the way the teeth were visible.

"What is with this stuffed bear?" The first to voice everyone's wonders was Byakuya, his arms folded. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"

"Nope, no joke here!" Almost everyone except a few such as Celes and Kyoko showed an expression of shock at the bear suddenly talking. To heighten the surprise, he rose to stand on top of the podium on his own. "Only me, Monokuma!"

"Th-The stuffed bear moved!" Touko exclaimed, much to what seemed to be the bear's annoyance.

"I'm no stuffed bear - I'm Monokuma, the headmaster of this school! As yer all students of this school, that makes me yer headmaster, too!" He rolled his paws around each other in a vertical loop before throwing them in the air. "Now that we've got that out of the way, it's about time we get this welcoming ceremony started. Stand! Bow!" Like he had said, he did the following as well, soon bowing his head towards the students. "Good morning, you bastards!"

Hifumi stood straight and bowed in response. "Good morning!" Despite the others' shock that he played along, they realized he was most likely doing this out of habit. He was the SHSL Hall Monitor, after all.

"Alright, now I will introduce to you everything you will experience here at Hope's Peak Academy. Ya see, yer all the brightest of the brightest, the hope of the world. In order to protect you bright beacons of hope..." Monokuma giggled softly. "Kee-hee-hee... Upupupupu... Yer all from now on expected to live on the school grounds!" Hearing the gasps seemed to brighten his mood. "That's right! Y'know what that also means?" He giggled some more. "Upupu! Yer staying in this school for the rest of yer natural lives!"

"Y-You can't be serious!" Yasuhiro did his best to keep his cool. His body shook and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"Oh, I'm serious, alright. There's nothing to worry about, though. Hope's Peak's budget is large enough for you all to never go without the resources needed for peaceful, comfortable living here. Now, the keyword there is ' _peaceful_ '. There's always the option to break the peace in your attempt to _graduate_ from this school. All you gotta do... is _successfully commit murder_."

_Kill somebody?! How horrible!_

"No way, there's no way that any of us would be driven to kill one another!" Makoto spoke up. "How could you even expect anyone to commit murder?!"

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet, bastard."

Chihiro backed away with the others when Monokuma leapt off the podium and onto the floor before them. He continued to walk towards them and they continued to scoot back. Even when they moved to the side, however, Chihiro was the only one who kept going back, already targeted, it seemed. She tripped over herself and fell onto her bottom, at the mercy of the bear.

Her collar was grabbed by the white paw. She was pulled forward until she was almost touching heads with him. She looked away from his differently-shapened and colored eyes. A heavy feeling in her stomach developed at the sound of his giggling.

"Upupupu! That look of despair is quite fitting on ya. I must say, I snagged up some dolls, but only parts of them make them one. _You've_ got the whole package. Mind if I call ya _Dolly_?"

Fortunately, she was saved by a single hand tugging her up and back onto her feet. She looked behind her to see that the one who helped her was Sakura before Hina pulled her away. They hid behind the muscular girl for protection as she folded her arms to increase how much intimidation she already brought with her size.

"I believe harassing students is immoral in school."

"I was only playing around, you know, and it's not harassing but teasing!"

"The headmaster, as you are so-called, should not be allowed to lay a hand - or paw - on a student in such a way!" Hifumi proclaimed.

"Well duh! Of course I wouldn't dare hurt a student 'cause that's against the rules. It's also against the rules to hurt me, mind you." Monokuma cleared his throat as he made his way back to standing on the podium. "Ahem, anyways! I've provided for you all yer keys to yer rooms as well as yer very own ElectroIDs. They shall display yer own little profile as well as give you a set of the school's rules and a map of the first floor; live peacefully throughout all this chaos for a while, and I'll open up the other floors for you to access so you may expand yer comfy living. Otherwise, happy murdering!"

 

 

Hina held Chihiro's hand as she led her and Sakura through the hallways. Leon followed along not far back from them. Everyone had gone off in groups of four to investigate the space they had access to according to what they found on the map. This group was in charge of going to the first floor dormitories along with another group - consisting of Kiyotaka, Mondo, Junko, and Mukuro - in which the latter group would take the side with the cafeteria. This left everybody else back on the other side of the passageway where the gymnasium was located.

It seemed so unreal to the small brunette, this whole situation they were all in. Just the sixteen of them, trapped in a school meant to educate Japan's prodigies which has been turned into what the "headmaster" Monokuma wants to be a battle to the death. The only way to "graduate", to escape, is to commit a murder. She had only just met everybody in person today but she had no will to participate in such a game and dare kill any of them.

There shouldn't be a need for this game anyways, she thinks. If they could all simply wait for a few days, they would be bound to be reported missing any time. A search party would be sure to find them and save them before anything drastic would take place.

Her group makes it to the dormitories at last. On each door were pixel sprites and name plates for each student. It seemed to be a coincidence that their dorms all happened to be close by each other. They searched their pockets in their jackets and cardigans for the keys Monokuma somehow hid in them until they were found. With a promise to meet back out in the hallway after a brief inspection of their rooms, all four unlocked their doors and went inside.

Chihiro closed the door behind her as she walked through. The room was well furnished with a large bed, miniature bookshelves, a desk, a small round table, a dresser, and even a large television screen. She eyed the iron plates on the walls where the windows must be, but she was beginning to get used to seeing them. What made her uncomfortable was the fact there was a security camera in the far corner of the room, giving it the ability to observe the room at suitable angles.

It had then come to a shock for her when she realized how the room was designed to her own tastes. Kirklian cameras were on the table. A telescope sat not too far from the bookshelves, which seemed to be stocked with books and encyclopedias all about coding and software when she scanned through some of them. There were even a few laptops and monitors on the desk.

_Monokuma wouldn't simply leave these laptops to my disposal just like that_ , she thought. _I guess this means I'll have to somehow find some tools to get them to turn on._

To continue her search, she made her way towards the dresser. On top of it seemed to be a half-full bottle of perfume giving off a faint blueberry scent, as well as a thin glass vase holding a small, most likely freshly-picked bouquet of dandelions; having some familiar things she liked to keep in her room at home - her old home, she now presumed - helped her relax and focus better on the situation. She finally got to opening each of the drawers, finding articles of clothing suiting her style. The two full-body mirrors beside it gave her the impression that they were actually the rolling doors to a closet, and her suspicions were confirmed to be true when she slid one mirror behind the other. Dresses, jackets, and other hangable items were on the racks.

_He really has stocked us up to live here for the rest of our lives._

A chime rang from the closed door. She turned around at the sound, having forgotten that each door had a doorbell on the other side. Following the ringing was a few knocks.

"Chi-chan, you done in there?" Hina was asking. "Are you okay?"

Hurrying towards the door, Chihiro opened it to find Hina, Sakura, and Leon standing outside. They must have been waiting for her, causing her cheeks to flush in embarrassment. "Sorry, time must've slipped by. I was doing a thorough search of my room."

Leon grinned. "Nah, you're cool. Hina and Sakura actually had to get me out of mine, too. Taka's group came by to tell us that we're all meeting in the cafeteria to talk about what we found. Ready to go?"

She nodded, closing and locking the door to her room behind her after stepping out. Hina then took her hand once more, this time practically dragging her on their way to meet up with the others at the rendezvous point.

 

 

After everyone was accounted for, Hifumi had gathered them to sit at one table. "I now call the first Hope's Peak Academy Regular Report meeting to order!" Hifumi declared, then sitting down on his own seat. "Let us all explain what we found during our search!"

"Mukuro and I found a stairwell to the second floor near the storage room, blocked by a metal gate," Junko began the report. "She and I tried wriggling it open, but it wouldn't budge."

"Kyoudai and I meanwhile found a sauna and a public bath," Taka added. "We also found a laundry room, and a garbage room not far from the restrooms."

"There's another gated stairwell by the entrance to the trophy room and gymnasium," Kyoko informed them next. "Celes had taken note of the large door blocking the entrance hall being made of iron, and Makoto and Hiro discovered a school store and infirmary, which is well-stocked with cold medicines, first-aid materials, and emergency items."

"'Hiro'?" Hifumi questioned.

"Yasuhiro requested our group to start calling him that for short. Now, Hifumi, did you and your group discover anything?"

"A couple things, back at the gym," Sayaka answered for him. Her legs were heaved up, crossed, onto the table, much to the hall monitor next to her's dismay. "We tried to figure out how Monokuma popped up from behind the podium, so we stayed in the gymnasium. I found a trace of a trap door he must've used. After trying to open it myself, the bear shot out and told me not to snoop around there anymore." She jabbed a thumb at Touko, who sat on her other side with her arms folded on the table. "This chick got pissed and started yelling at him to let us go, even grabbed him by the neck and shook him around for a while."

"What happened afterwards?"

She first looked towards the one asking, Makoto, before glancing around at everyone. Her eyes darted to Touko, who then knew that she was the one who must answer.

"He s-started beeping, and I-I freaked out and threw him away... H-He... exploded."

"And when we thought that was the end of him, another copy came out. Gave us a warning that if we assaulted him another time, we'd really be getting it."

Touko glanced at Byakuya, who had been uncomfortably quiet all this time. "B-B-Byakuya, you went off on your own, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Indeed, I did." Those who were first hearing of this began to question why he would go off alone. He spoke again to answer them. "Just because you may all seem 'buddy-buddy' now, does not mean at least one of you isn't already plotting murder for later. I am simply avoiding association with you all in order to assure my survival in this game."

Chihiro clenched her fists on her lap under the table. She squirmed slightly in her seat, uncomfortable knowing that he referred to their situation as a "game". It made her even more uncomfortable knowing she was sitting right next to him when Hifumi forced him to sit at this large table. She even caught him looking her way, making her nervous.

"This... isn't a game," she muttered under her breath, unsure if he heard her or not. She looked away, breaking their eye contact, and raised her voice to distract herself from it. "Oh, um, is it my group's turn now?"

"Your group is the last to report, so yes!" Hifumi confirmed for her.

Hina took over from there. "We looked into our own rooms. The beds are pretty comfortable, and it seems we have functioning showers in the bathroom." She gestured towards Chihiro sitting beside her as well as Leon sitting across from her. "These two stayed in their rooms for a while longer for a more thorough investigation."

Leon shrugged, one hand waving nonchalantly. "Mine wasn't exactly thorough; I just looked around. The walls inside actually had posters pinned up of music groups I've been planning on managing to get out of baseball for a change. What did you find, Chi?"

"There were actually a few laptops and monitors on my desk." She had been thinking of which pieces of information would be more important, so she chose to talk about the computers first. "I don't think they work, though. It might be possible to fix them if I find the right tools. I even have cameras and encyclopedias."

"So each room is designed specifically to our own tastes," Makoto mused quietly.

She nodded. "Yes, because Monokuma did say it's possible for us to live here forever, so he prepared us for that. There were even clothes in the dresser and closet, which will be useful for if we stay here long enough that laundry must be done."

"Wait a minute, Chi-chan," Hina interjected when she finished speaking. "How much clothes did you have? I checked my room and I had enough to last for a few weeks, like, if I were to wear a different outfit each day."

She hummed softly. She only gazed upon the clothes she found for a couple minutes. There was definitely a lot, though, in both the dresser and the closet. "If I had to guess... if I wore one different outfit a day, they would last for a couple months per season; that may as well be a year's worth."

Now that she thought about it, it wouldn't make sense for her to have more clothes than Hina. Hina is an idol and therefore a larger wardrobe would suit her. She, on the other hand, had no reason to have that much. It was then she referred back to earlier this morning, when Monokuma called her Dolly.

It no longer felt like a coincidence that he called her that and her room was set up for her.

Hina looked at her, equally perplexed. "I know that these are just clothes we're talking about, but I have a weird feeling about this. This seems like special treatment to me."

"So you're saying Chihiro must be Monokuma's favorite?" Taka suggested.

Mondo let out a "Tch" beside him. "Talk about creepy."

"... Now that we've finished our report, may we move on to the next item of the agenda?" All eyes landed on Celes, who sat at the farthest end of the table. "Speaking of Monokuma, based on what we've learned about our surroundings, he really has stocked us up with the things we need in order to live here. Until then, we must adapt to remain peaceful among ourselves, at least until we find a way out of here. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yeah... Yeah!" Junko exclaimed. She folded her arms and flashed a confident smirk. "I mean, we'll definitely be reported missing if we stay here for the next couple days, and the authorities will be able to track us down!" At her side, Mukuro had a similar smirk on her face, obviously agreeing with her.

"If my sister believes so, then so will I. Besides, there's no way anyone could go without noticing the disappearance of a large group of students, especially when everyone here is well known in some way."

"See? If we keep up like this, who knows? We could be out of here in no time!"

With the tension put at ease, everyone sat in a comfortable silence until it was no longer comfortable.

"Okay, so now what?" Sayaka spoke up. "Does anybody know what time it is?"

"According to our ElectroIDs, it is currently half past eleven," Taka informed her. "We have been stuck in this school for three hours, possibly over four considering we woke up here."

Just then, Byakuya got out of his seat. He left the group and headed for the exit.

"B-Byakuya," Touko called out, "where're you going?"

"To my room. Where else?" He kept on walking without looking back at the others. "I've said it before and I will say it again: I have no interest in associating with anyone for as long as this game is in motion."

Even when he left, Chihiro still remained uneasy. She had a feeling the two of them would not be getting along.

 

 

The other fifteen teens ended up having some snacks that were found in the kitchen. On the refrigerator was a note from Monokuma himself stating that any decrease in the inventory would be constantly replenished so there would not be a lack of fresh food. It made some of them unsure if they were even the least bit peckish, but their empty stomachs were enough encouragement. Almost everyone took either a small fruit or shared a bag of chips, whereas Mukuro and Sakura preferred eating protein bars and drinking the protein coffee when they could not find anything for shakes; it made sense, considering Sakura's muscular build and Mukuro's need to remain in constant shape for fighting, so those two were in need of those the most.

After everyone satisfied themselves until they felt they could wait until later to have dinner, they separated. Chihiro chose to retire to her room so she could rest. Hina had offered to keep her company, but it was declined, the latter explaining that she felt the need to be alone and process today's events on her own. The idol was sincere enough to respect her privacy.

She didn't understand why she felt so relieved to be inside her room. Perhaps she's already adjusted to being here to the point she can consider this place as a sanctuary, like how a room should be to its owner. The security camera would take some getting used to, just as long as she does nothing that would go against the rules.

_By the by, what are the school rules, and how many are there?_

Having not examined at her own ElectroID yet, she pulled it out of her jacket and switched it on. She thumbed around on the touchscreen before she finally came upon the list of school rules. She read each line carefully to not miss a detail.

 

_1\. Students are expected to live within Hope's Peak Academy. Leaving the campus is prohibited._

_2\. The period between 10PM to 7AM is considered the "nighttime hours". Some areas will be off-limits, so exercise caution._

_3\. Violence against your headmaster Monokuma is prohibited and will result in punishment._

_4\. If the students are to be able to live in peace for a long amount of time, more areas will made accessible._

_5\. In order to graduate from Hope's Peak Academy, anyone is allowed to murder a fellow student and become "blackened". However, this will only apply if the "blackened" is not caught._

_  
_

_Please note that additional rules may be added if necessary._

_  
_

"These seem simple enough to follow," she mumbled, now lying splayed out on her bed. _And Hina was right, these beds really are comfy._ Looking up to the ceiling, she lowered the hand holding her ElectroID onto her chest and let out a sigh.

"None of this is a dream; we really are trapped here in Hope's Peak Academy and we're really being given the option to kill each other. We don't have to necessarily kill if we don't want to, though, which is good. I don't think I could bring myself to kill anyone, even if we all just met today... I don't think I could bring myself to kill anyone _at all_."

In the midst of talking to herself, her thumb had slid against the touchscreen and a soft beep was elicited. She must have accidentally pressed against one of the options by accident. She brought the screen back above her face so she could see what happened. Right before her, she saw a small profile about herself.

_**Name:** Chihiro Fujisaki_

_**Title:** Super High School-Level Good Luck_

_**Birth Date:** March 14th_

When she read the line below her birth date, her eyes widened. At first a sort of numbness took over her body which left her motionless, and then she began to feel a cold shot running up her spine and across the back of her shoulders. She was so shocked that when she felt she could move again, she threw her ElectroID out of her hand so it fell far from the bed. Even by doing that, she could still make out the line she dreaded seeing.

_**Sex:** Male_

"H-H-How...?" She scrambled off of the bed and backed away towards the desk, trying to get as far away from the handheld device as possible. "I-I registered here as female... b-because I _am_ female! Why would that be shown?!"

Seeing this piece of biological information was making her sick to her stomach. She had spent years trying to figure out who she was, years of being humiliated and harassed for doing so. Her parents followed her wishes of transferring from her older junior high to a new one, away from the classmates who identified her as male and looked down at her. Together the three of them made special reservations with a board member from Hope's Peak Academy to make sure she would avoid as much confrontation with this problem as possible.

_Monokuma is probably using this as a hidden motivator_ , she tried to reason with herself. _If Monokuma really is the so-called headmaster, he would know about this and use it to his advantage. He's probably doing this to everyone, to test us to see if we'd really be willing to commit a murder._

Wrapping her arms around herself, she spun the chair by the desk around and took a seat. She brought her legs up onto the cushion and curled them under herself. It took her some breathing exercises to calm down as well as squeezing herself until she was too physically exhausted to feel panicked.

No one has to know about this, about her biological gender. No one seemed they would scourge her if they found out anyways. Besides, her profile can only be seen on her own ElectroID. As long as she never went without that, she could avoid the problem.

Her hands slipped underneath her jacket, and that was when she felt a bump in the right pocket inside. She dipped her left hand inside to grasp at the object and pull it out. Upon seeing the mysterious object wrapped in fabric once more, she remembered her finding it when she first woke up in one of the classrooms. Now that she was alone, she may as well finally see what she had been carrying this entire time.

Thin fingers tugged lightly at different parts of the fabric until she found the opening by grabbing one end of it. She unwrapped it with caution in case it turned out to be something dangerous.

And her suspicions were confirmed.

As soon as she pulled the long strip of fabric away, she was then staring back at her own reflection along the blade of a medium-sized knife.


	4. They're Fortunes, Not the Future (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Three of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> The Free Time period begins the next morning, which includes a brief tarot reading and getting to know a certain programmer. What sort of sparks will ignite between him and our dear "Lady Luck"?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit - 1/4/16: I accidentally put the wrong meaning for the Three of Swords (the meaning I ended up putting was for the Nine of Swords). Oops

"Sakuraaaaaa! What's my fortune?!"

Four cards were spread out facedown on the table before Sakura. Hina and Chihiro sat on either side of her, with Celes, Makoto, and Hiro on the other side. The five not directly in front of the cards were waiting for their clairvoyant friend to unveil the symbols underneath. After dinner the previous night, Sakura had done a more thorough search of her room and found all of her tarot card decks in one drawer in her dresser. This morning during breakfast she brought one deck out suggesting a tarot reading to estimate what their time in Hope's Peak Academy may unfold. 

Hina volunteered to be the first to have her fortune read. Upon Sakura's request, she shuffled the cards herself and had chosen the four cards now on the table. The others sat quietly so she could relax and concentrate on the performing the reading. She had her eyes closed while she took deep, cleansing breaths.

The first card was flipped over carefully. She opened her eyes to stare down at the first part of Hina's fortune.

"Your past is represented by The Magician," she calmly announced.

"Ooh! What does that mean?"

Chihiro opened and flipped through the pages of the book Sakura also brought out with her. She passed through the chapters on the basics of tarot reading until she found the section for the Major Arcana cards. After the information on The Fool came the page for The Magician. She read through the description and tried to paraphrase it to the best of her ability.

"Says here that The Magician symbolizes awareness, especially in one's choices and the effects it will bring to others. It also points to the talents, capabilities, and resources at your disposal."

"Meaning...?" Hiro spoke up to ask.

"From Aoi's past, most likely relating to her career as an idol, her choices as an idol will be catching up to her and will be important for her to think over in the future," Sakura explained. "Does this seem accurate in your opinion, Aoi?"

Hina nodded while her chin rested atop her intertwined fingers. "After all, it was my choice to put Crystal Drops on a brief hiatus after I learned I was accepted into Hope's Peak. That way, I can get used to a normal school life here before I have time to focus on my career again." She huffed softly, revealing her frustration. "I guess that also means that choice led me to being part this hostage situation, but then again I'm sure we'll be fine here. What's next, Sakura?"

The second card meant to represent her life in the present was flipped over by the fortune teller. "Seven of Wands."

"Chi-chan, if you will!"

"Let's see... The Seven of Wands card refers to perseverance through a time of struggle and coping, usually to keep one's position in something. It depicts either fighting for or giving up on long-term goals."

"Ahh... I wonder what's going to happen to me soon!"

"Aoi." She looked to Sakura, who carried more seriousness in her facial expression than usual. "Please heed my warning that though I may be identified as clairvoyant, tarot reading is simply describing the fortunes of a situation, not predicting any events."

"Roger!"

"Next is your future, represented by... the Three of Swords."

Muttering an excuse, Celes took the book from Chihiro and looked through the pages herself. She looked up to make sure Hina was listening before she paraphrased the description on the Three of Swords' respective page.

"Being of the most anxiety-inducing cards of the deck, it represents loss and refers to sorrow within the mind, but with that you are expected to gain strength and relief as a result." She hummed at what she had just read. "I don't particularly believe in divination though I also don't denounce it, so I do find these descriptions quite intriguing."

The last card, the outcome of the further future based on the previous three cards, turned out to be another Major Arcana card, the Wheel of Fortune. According to Celes with Sakura's book, its most common aspect was the indication of the end of a situation in one's life as well as the beginning of a new one. Hina had been rather worried from what she learned about the Three of Swords, but was perked up again after learning about the Wheel. She knew it did not necessarily mean something good would be happening, but the others were able to tell she was an optimist and would continue to be so.

Makoto went after Sakura placed all of the cards back in the deck for him to shuffle. Hiro, much more fascinated by her skills than the others, was enthusiastic to go next. Celes only went afterwards because Hina and Hiro were so insistent for her to try having her fortune read. Soon Chihiro was the only one left at the table who had yet to have hers read.

"I don't think I want to," she said, however. Being the last one, she got weird looks from the others. She squirmed in her seat to adjust herself under the gaze of her peers. "N-Not that I don't trust Sakura's abilities or the descriptions given in the books; matter of fact, I do believe in them and their accuracy so far! It's just... not now. I don't feel like partaking in a reading at the moment."

"Well, no one's forcing you, Chi-chan," Hina spoke up first, still smiling. "If you don't wanna do it now, then there's no rush. Just know that you should try it out while the offer's fresh."

The small brunette smiled in relief. "Don't worry, I will, I promise!"

She sat back then, preferring to listen to the others talk around her. It gave her time to get to know them from what they spoke about with which emotions. For example, Hina and Sakura had left the table to look for some donuts, the former having a glint of hope in her eyes at the idea of having some. Celes and Hiro were now engaging in a light, quiet conversation - something about this person the detective was calling the "Batter-Up Battler", who was most likely a criminal she was investigating. Makoto was out of his seat, most likely to find someone to talk to rather than going after one with her. It was fine, though, since she did also want some time to think by herself.

It has been over twelve hours since she discovered she had been carrying a knife in her jacket pocket most of yesterday. That revelation combined with the male sex symbol on her profile was enough to make her dizzy before dinnertime. She was in a daze of shock on the chair by her desk before Hina and Sakura had come by to pick her up. She and a few others still had not much of an appetite, which was understandable given the circumstances, so she was allowed to return to her room a short time after her arrival. According to the two girls whom she'd grown to be acquainted with, she was to come to them if her condition was to get worse.

All last night before she slept and earlier this morning was filled with thoughts of why Monokuma would leave a knife for her - of all people, to add more to the situation. She had not done anything wrong before her acceptance to Hope's Peak Academy, other than doing all she could to hide as much evidence pointing to her transitioning as possible. Even with that, it could not possibly be wrong to want to be seen as the person she believed she was born to be; it was only a humanly desire, right? She may be scared of having her secret being revealed, but it was not like she would _kill_ to protect it. _That_ would be going too far.

_Ridiculous_ , she thought, _the idea of me killing anybody for the sake of that is ridiculous... e-even if I don't want anybody to know!_ She went over her thoughts again, and reevaluating made her sink in her seat. _A-At least... I don't want anyone to know **yet**. If everybody begins to trust each other, I can tell people one by one. Wouldn't that be best? _

"Chihiro...? Oi, Chihiro!"

The loud call of her name made her jump, and it made the one who called her jump as well. She turned her head and found herself looking up at Makoto Naegi. That was odd, she could've sworn she saw him leave to go to another one.

"What are you doing here, Naegi-kun?" she asked, tensing up slightly. Even with all that has happened, she still could not forget his stealing her opportunities despite them being unintentional.

He, however, only blinked at her due to the use of his surname. "'Naegi-kun?' Haven't you been referring to others by their first names or nicknames?" He motioned towards the spot next to her, to which she scooted over some - it wouldn't even matter if she did so or not, though, considering the table being large and there being a lot of space with her in the middle of one seat. "Ah, pardon me, then..." Once he was situated, he went back to the topic he still had at hand. "Now then - again, why call me by my last name, Chihiro?"

She gulped down the saliva building up in her mouth. Her hands ran down her skirt to wipe the sweat on her palms. "I don't know you that well, after all," she muttered an excuse, which wasn't technically a lie. She didn't know anyone here personally. Makoto would have been the closest one to being that if they had ever crossed paths at the software company they both contributed to. Looking away from him, she continued to speak. "Therefore, I won't be using your first name until I learn more about you."

"Why… do you keep looking away from me when you talk to me?" He must have seen her unintentionally flinch because he then pressed on. "I understand that we might not know each other well, but if I've done anything to upset or offend you, just tell me. I'll..." There was a pause of hesitation. "I'll fix whatever mistake I made."

"… Please excuse me, I'm not feeling too well. I will be making myself some tea."

"Chihiro, please don't just leave-"

" _That won't be necessary._ "

The two craned their heads towards Celes, who was now sitting alone - in the background, Hiro could be seen making his way over to talk to Leon and Kyoko. She had her elbows up on the table with her folded fingers propping her chin. By the looks of her relaxed face, she had been listening to their interaction for a while now.

"While you two were busy talking, I sent Yamada to the kitchen to make us tea," she explained. "You don't have to bring yourself to such troubles now, Fujisaki." Makoto mumbled something about her use of surnames as well, which she must have heard because she addressed it. "Unlike Fujisaki, who does so for the sake of personal understanding, I do so simply to keep things professional. If we continue to work together, I'll reconsider my relationships with you.

"And now, because I can't stand the thought of anyone disturbing another's ability to adapt to our circumstances, I want to take part in this conversation. I'm no SHSL Counselor or anything of the sort, but I do enjoy solving even the littlest of problems if enough evidence is presented." Her eyes landed on Chihiro, narrowing as a slight smirk formed on her lips. "Do tell, Fujisaki - why _do_ you continuously look away from Naegi whenever he speaks, let alone is close to you? You make it to be that you're hiding something he is not aware of."

She broke her gaze away from Celes and turned it to Makoto. Actually looking at him up this close, she could see the brightness in his averagely brown eyes and the concern they held. It made her feel guilty for bringing about this concern. He did nothing wrong intentionally. Was she really going to be mad at him for something he did not mean to do? It wasn't his fault he was born with a programming talent like hers.

"It's true," she confessed with a sigh, turning her attention back to Celes. "The reason I've been avoiding eye contact with him is because of his job at this renowned software company my father happens to work at. You see, Naegi-kun took a place at the company that could have been meant for me. Had I gotten his job, it would have been possible for _me_ to be accepted into this school as SHSL Programmer because my name would be out there." Looking down, she folded her hands on her lap. "Thinking about it now, it was a childish reason for me to avoid you like this, Naegi-kun. I'm sorry."

Makoto tilted his head at this new information. "Your father is... Taichi Fujisaki, isn't it?" She nodded. His eyes lit up. "Ohh, so _that's_ why you seemed so familiar! I work with your father!" She and Celes gave him a weird look, wondering how he could only be focusing on that above everything else from that confession. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. "What I mean is, your father and I are pretty close at the company. He's a wonderful man, Chihiro."

The thought of her father made her relax. Thinking that he got along with this boy was enough for her to stop tensing up. "He is, as well as a wonderful father. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have ever discovered my programming talents." _Father would probably be happy if I were to get on his good side._

Celes clapped her hands once, bringing the focus back on her. "So, what Fujisaki is stating basically is that she's jealous." She brought a hand up over her mouth as she giggled. "How cute, if you ask me." Both brunets across from her blushed at her comment. "My proposition, then, is that you two spend the rest of the day together and get to know each other better. Perhaps then Fujisaki will find it in her to refer to Naegi by his first name."

The two looked at each other, and back at Celes. This lasted for a while before Hifumi finally arrived with what he called royal milk tea. They decided spending time together was best when they saw Celes explode at the poor hall monitor, who failed to make the tea the way it should be made. They had managed to sneak away into the kitchen while she was yelling at him to make it again.

 

 

Makoto chewed on half of a bagel he toasted in the kitchen from when he and Chihiro were waiting for Celes to calm down out in the cafeteria. Chihiro took small bites from the other half which was handed to her with a napkin to prevent burning her fingers. As soon as the detective was feeling better and Hifumi was back in the kitchen to give making her tea another try, they escaped the area and proceeded through the hallway. Going somewhere private was not necessary, but it did sound nice to not be disturbed anywhere.

"We can always go to either of our rooms," the boy suggested, to which the other nodded in agreement. "Um, whose would you like to go to?"

"The others would likely find it weird if I were to invite you into my room," she replied. She'd rather not say that she was keeping a knife in there, sitting atop her dresser. "Your room would be best. For some reason it feels being taken to a boy's room would be seen as less... scandalous? Strange? Either of those adjectives."

She followed shortly behind him quietly towards the dormitories, still finishing her half of their bagel. This felt odd, she's never been to a boy's room before, not even when she would have male partners for school projects. They always kept her in their living or dining rooms, which she found weird from what other girls told her. During junior high school - the one she transferred to, not the previous one -, it was especially weird, because according to other girls a cute girl like her would often be invited into a boy's bedroom considering they were being steered by hormones and such. She was the kind of girl with that mousy personality that made her adored and even targeted for affection by others. She supposed those boys always kept her away from bedrooms for the sake of being on her good graces; being on such a side would prove to have a positive effect on one's reputation at school.

Before then, no one would have cared because they knew what her background was like. For some reason the people who knew her at her older junior high found it "wrong" and "disgusting" for her to "act" like the other gender even though there was no acting to it at all. She was only figuring herself out and they degraded her for it, leading to the harsh words and being pushed around, even telling her that it was "only a phase" and she would "grow out of it eventually". As much as she wanted to yell, to scream, to tell them all that they were wrong about her, she never had the courage.

At least her parents were supportive, since they realized that there was a reason she did not act much like a boy back in elementary school, and why she was so interested in shopping with her mother rather than her father. At least she knew they loved her enough to let her transfer to a school in another district when the bullying was going too far without much to stop it and always accompany her to the bus which would take her there. Her father never stopped teaching her about the wonders of programming and her mother never stopped giving her advice and building her confidence - for in all honesty, the woman was the strongest in the family. They always evaluated the friends she would bring home from school to make sure they would be understanding and still love their daughter even if she were to tell them her secret, though she never did confess anyways.

This brought upon in her mind the one thing she was wondering ever since she first learned she was accepted into Hope's Peak in the first place: How long until she could deem it best to tell everyone her secret? She thought the best course of action would be to tell them one by one, based on how much she trusted them. She felt she could tell Hina and Sakura first, as the three had hit it off quite well almost as soon as they met the previous day. As for the others like Touko and Makoto, whom she was still trying to build trust in, they would take a while longer.

But then there was Byakuya. Not Byakuya, most certainly not him in the beginning. By the rate of how they seemed to oppose each other, he would most definitely be the last to know if she went through with this.

The two eventually arrived in front of Makoto's room, to which the owner unlocked the door to allow his guest to come inside. Chihiro took notice of how her own dorm was located three doors away, then she entered and looked around. In a way, their rooms were actually quite similar at first glance other than the fact that his bedsheets were blue while hers were pink, and he had four laptops and monitors on his desk instead of three of each like she did; the perks of actually being recognized as a programmer, it seemed. With the two of them being tech savvy, they could possibly get both of their possessions to start. It would be useful for them to work together given what has happened to them.

It seemed she had found a new reason to try and get along with him.

"Naegi-kun," she spoke up once they were both inside and the door was closed and locked. She took a seat on his bed and waited for his eyes to lock on hers before she continued. "I'm curious about the laptops you own. If we could use yours as well as my own from my room, there is a chance for us to look into why we're in this situation and maybe even find a way to put a stop to it."

He remained planted where he stood, arms behind his back, eyes widened. "I was actually planning on asking for your cooperation in such a project." He grinned. "Good to know we're on the same page and all, but there's one thing we have to do before we can find materials to start us off."

"What would that be?"

Just then, he walked over and plopped himself on the edge of the bed beside her, making the mattress jump and her along with it. The grin on his face became more of a smile. "We're here to get to know each other better, aren't we? So, let's try it out. You wouldn't trust me personally if we were to start working together now, right?"

She had to admit, he did have a point. The reason why they were spending time together was to establish a stronger bond upon Celes' suggestion. It would be a waste not to take advantage of all the time they had today. With a sigh, she agreed to his proposition.

"Great! Now, let's start with our favorite colors; that's, like, the basis for all friendships, and I'm not even exaggerating!"

They learned that both of their favorite color was green, and that they both liked playing simple computer games like solitaire or chess in their free time. She learned about how much Makoto loved eating curry while he learned about her preferring something small like kappa maki or edamame. Neither really cared much about genres of movies they would watch, as long as it didn't possess too much gore. If either of them had to pick a flower from a never-ending field, she would pick dandelions and he would try to search for lilies, though he always felt he'd rather not share such information with other guys for fear of being teased. He took joy out of the crisp winds and changing colors of autumn, and she forever awaits the first blooming forecasts for the cherry blossoms of the spring. He was a rare early riser, contradictory to it being a fact that programmers spend long nights on projects or sometimes do not get sleep at all; she, on the other hand, was more active and energetic when the sky was dark and the moon and stars were out.

It soon turned from the basic favorites to more personal information. Makoto has a sister who is not much younger than himself and dreams of being a manga artist, and his parents are both average-ranked businesspeople. He used to have a dog who died sometime during his junior high life. He already knew about Chihiro's father Taichi Fujisaki, but not about her mother, Chiyo, who is a "rare woman inventor". Like her husband and daughter, she finds interests in technology and along with working as a professor in engineering, she, as expected based on how she was described, liked to try to invent little machines to help around the house.

"One time, she made this little robot out of a tin can, calculators, and some wires," Chihiro told him. "She built it for me so that I could have help with cleaning my desk since it was the one place in my room that was always messy. It worked for a while, organizing my books and such, but once it tried dusting the top; the robot malfunctioned and short-circuited, and a huge cloud of smoke and dust was formed, that I had to open the windows in my room!"

Makoto chuckled softly. "Your mom sounds amazing. When we get out of here, I hope to meet her."

She tilted her head. "You believe we'll get out of here?"

"Don't you?"

"I'm… honestly not sure."

"Well, it's already been over twenty-four hours. People are bound to start looking for us."

After some thinking, she hummed and nodded. "You're right. I mean, remember how hopeful Enoshima-san looked and how her sister Ikusaba-san had her back? Combined with Celes' suggestion for us to adapt quickly, to hope help will come has been keeping our spirits high."

He patted her shoulder. "There you go!" Since that was the end of that topic, he brought up a new one. "Hey, for the company we work for, did you get assigned to design a revolutionary program?"

"Yeah, actually! If you know about it already, then that must mean we're supposed to be partners."

"If my memory serves me correctly, the program..."

"... is a strong artificial-"

"-intelligence armed with-"

"-a learning ability and-"

"-voice recognition."

"Right! Then you must know-"

"-the name of the program is-"

"-Alter Ego!" the two exclaimed at the same time. They stared at other with excitement beaming in their eyes, the spark between two programmers highly apparent. Now Chihiro wanted nothing more than to finish what they started separately.

"I have my part of the unfinished program on a USB drive!" she whispered energetically.

"All the boys have toolboxes in their rooms," he quietly said to add on to their newfound enthusiasm. "We can use those to fix our laptops!"

Chihiro grabbed his nearest hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let's do this!"

 

  
_How could Chihiro possibly have a USB drive on her?_ Makoto had wondered. It was a valid question when it was asked, for everyone's phones and their PDAs were discovered to be missing the previous day. As it turned out, Monokuma was not thorough enough in his confiscations when he knocked them out and took them, for hidden in a secret pocket inside her skirt was the drive she had been carrying since she first entered this school.

Though her association with the company she worked for was hidden, the heads of other competing corporations would still be desperate to somehow get their hands on information about the alternate intelligence program that was leaked out accidentally through rumors. Her father would be targeted for questioning and that would mean she would eventually be, as well, if she were revealed to be partially the mastermind behind the plan. In order to protect the program she had been working tirelessly on in secret, she and her mother sewed patches of fabric into some of her clothes so she could carry her USB drive at all times no matter where she went.

"Dang, you're really committed to this project," Makoto had mumbled.

She was honestly confused as to why he would think that. "Aren't you doing something to keep it hidden?"

"Of course I have!" Removing his headphones from around his neck, he pressed down on what looked to be a button above the soft comforter muffs. However, a small compartment opened up, and with a tilt there was then a microchip in his hand. "Half of my part is on here, mainly the basic set up."

"What about the other half of your part?"

To impress her further, he placed his headphones back so his hands were free to lift his sweatshirt to show an extra pocket on the inside. He reached one hand to dip inside before he pulled out a pen. He let the hem of his sweatshirt fall back as he pulled the end off of the pen, unveiling the hidden USB drive inside.

Her eyes widened. "I stand corrected."

In response, he shined that smile she figured was his signature look. "Glad to know that." He stuffed both items into his outer sweatshirt pocket. "Now, it looks we've got most of our things, including my toolbox. The next thing we need to do is try to fix the laptops."

"We can't do that in either of our rooms," Chihiro pointed out, her voice lower now. "The security cameras, remember? They're all over the school, and if anyone else found out about this, I don't know what their reactions would be."

Makoto nodded. "Let's keep this a secret until we can decide when we should tell the others. I'll find us a place to bring our things to where I know we can hide them, and you should check the school store for things like calculators and more of your cameras - anything we can use to create backup batteries in case they're lacking power. We'll rendezvous by the classrooms after… thirty minutes."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Tucking her USB drive into her inner jacket pocket where she also kept her dorm key, she proceeded towards the door. She gave one last look at her new partner-in-"crime", then exited his room, closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Note: Chiyo is not the actual name of Chihiro Fujisaki's mother; since there was no official given name stated in her bio, I gave her one that I thought suited her, especially since everyone in the family has the "Chi-" ("one thousand") prefix. (Chiyo means "one thousand worlds" or "one thousand generations".)


	5. They're Fortunes, Not the Future (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Four of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> Chihiro and Makoto begin their project to finish what they started before they entered Hope's Peak Academy: creating and designing the Alter Ego program.
> 
> (In which the author needs an excuse to stock this ship with fluff before she can let it sail.)

Her heart was racing, particularly from the hard breathing caused by her dash out of the dormitories area. She wasn't used to exercise given her frail body, but she was fueled by the adrenaline of excitement at the moment. She couldn't stop herself even if she tried at this point.

To think she, Chihiro Fujisaki, would ever feel this good while running. Her friends from junior high were right about it helping to release endorphins and bring about more positive feelings.

After taking a quick peek into the cafeteria, she saw that about half of the other students were still occupying it. It wasn't weird to find teenagers remaining in one place for a longer period of time than planned; rather, the ones inside were the ones she'd expect to still be there. She figured the rest were now either roaming around or back in their own dormitories. It was closing in on being noon, after all.

She passed through the hall connecting the dormitory area to the area designated as the "school grounds", past the classrooms, and turned at a corner. She slowed into more of a jogging pace then before she stopped completely in front of the entrance to the school store.

Peering inside, the school store looked pretty normal... That is, if Monokuma merchandise were to be considered normal in this school. Besides those specifically for Hope's Peak, there seemed to be a nearly equal amount with Monokuma on it in some way, shape, or form, ranging from the erasers to clothing and even on labels for snacks. Saying it was creepy would be more of an understatement.

The calculators were located on the shelves in the school supplies section, along with disposable cameras, cheap watches, and small MP3 players. She took a plastic basket from the counter and began filling it with however much she could carry. Everything was light, so it was easy for her to hold the plethora of electronics inside all at once. To make the impending journey to the rendezvous point - and to her partner-in-"crime" Makoto Naegi - easier, she stuffed it all into a small school bag that had the school's logo on it and closed the zipper.

Just when she was about to take off, however, standing before her at the doorway was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. "Ah, afternoon, _Fuji-tan_!" She blinked in surprise at the odd nickname used on her surname. The doujin artist caught onto her confusion and quickly explained himself. "Well, I wasn't sure whether to address you by your given name or surname, so I chose the latter and then added the honorific to signify your meek-looking, mouse-like cuteness!"

She was honestly not sure if she should feel praised or insulted. Slipping her right arm through the bag's straps, she slung it onto her shoulder and pressed it close to her side. "J-Just Chihiro is fine," she muttered, still unsure about his nickname for her. "After all, you let the rest of us refer to you by your first name. No need to add the honorific either, Taka."

"Oh? But what about Hina-tan and her use of 'Chi-chan'?"

"Well, I guess I'm fine with _-chan_ because it can be used in a friendly sense, but not _-tan_ ; that would be overdoing it." She shined a nervous smile. "Besides, I'm not _that_ cute."

On the contrary, she knew what she was saying was not based on the perspective of others. Back in both junior highs and even in elementary school, she was considered cute by the majority of the students. Such cuteness was not natural for a _boy_ , but it made more sense when she discovered her true identity as a _girl_. Though her older junior high shamed her for her transitioning, there were still those few people who did not care because she was cute all around. It was also best to forget about the ignorant ones from that horrible place who said things along the lines of "I'd love to date you if you were a _real_ girl".

After transferring from that place, everyone at her newer junior high took her in with open arms despite not knowing her background. She knew she was admired for her intellect and adored for her looks and personality that she could not help. Her friends from there even taught her how to use attributes of these facts to her own advantage, but she only did so on very rare occasions. Their help and her natural self combined came up with surprising results of numerous confessions from boys, girls, and anyone possibly in between or not.

So, as expected, Taka's jaw dropped and he sputtered briefly for words. "What- How could you- Th-That-That's preposterous! Absurd! You cannot possibly think you're _not_ cute!" He clenched his chest with one hand and pointed at her with the other. "If you aren't cute, then that makes newborn kittens simply bags of fluff with no meaning by comparison; it means puppies must then be piles of hair and tails! It's crazy like-... like-..." He caught his breath for a second before he finished in an outburst. "It's like saying Madoka Kaname is not _pure_!"

"WILL YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!"

Both Chihiro and Taka jumped at the sudden shouting coming from Junko Enoshima, who now stood not too far behind Taka with her sister Mukuro Ikusaba at her side. Her arms were folded and her face showed obvious annoyance with his loudness. Her sister, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm and rather stoic, standing there with a hand resting on her hip.

"God, I came here to look for some sweets since there weren't any in the kitchen, but now I'm too pissed to eat!" As soon as she was finished fuming, her personality changed drastically, back into a grin once her eyes rested upon Chihiro. "Oh, hey, Chi! Thanks to the loud mouth here, I'm guessing you don't think you're cute?"

"Not really, no," she half-lied; as elaborated earlier, she knew she was cute, but she never considered herself cute enough to be praised for it just by being herself. Still, she wanted to see where this would go. Even she had selfish ideas.

"Well, I call bullshit! You gotta be one of the cutest gals I've met! If I wasn't straight, I'd _totally_ tap that!"

Mukuro caught sight of the small brunette's face paling and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I believe you've said enough on the matter, Junko." Patting her off to go search for her long-needed sweets, she turned her attention to Chihiro. She glanced at the bag she was carrying. "What's in the bag?"

"Secret," she replied almost immediately. "But I _can_ tell you I'm meeting someone."

A black eyebrow was raised in curiosity. "Oh really? Who're you meeting?"

"Secret."

"Would it happen to be Makoto Naegi?" She let herself smirk slightly at the way Chihiro's eyes widened. "You see, he's been… loitering, I guess you can say, by the classrooms, and he told me he was waiting for someone. I'm guessing that means he's waiting for you."

Returning to a small smile, Chihiro walked past Kiyotaka, who was still somehow in shock from when Junko scared him. "I should head over there now, then. I don't want to keep him waiting any longer."

"Yeah, yeah, fine... Oh, hey, one more question: What are you two up to?"

Looking back at the wrestler, she unintentionally let out a soft giggle. The excitement over the thought of Project Alter Ego was coming back to her. She had the courage to answer her one more time.

"Secret."

 

 

"I'm sorry I'm late!" The petite brunette jogged on over to where she saw Makoto leaning nearby one of the closed doors to a classroom. She stopped beside him and gestured towards her bag. "While I was gathering electronics, I got caught up in a bit of a commotion."

Makoto shrugged. "Yeah, I figured, since I saw Taka walking your way, then Mukuro and Junko saw me here a while ago." He nudged her lightly, and she took notice of the toolbox in one hand and two of his laptops in another as well as one monitor stacked on top, the electronics held up against his chest to maintain balance. "Shall we get going? I found the perfect place for us to get this started."

"Lead the way."

He led her back into the dormitories area, across to the opposite side of where the cafeteria was located. They soon stood in front of an entranceway with curtains hanging at the top. Chihiro looked inside at the lighter-colored tile floors and the lockers on one side of a wall.

"The public bath?" she whispered with uncertainty.

"I checked this place out. There's no cameras in here, like at all. It's perfect for doing our project without getting caught as long as we're quiet."

To avoid being seen, they hid themselves in a corner far from the entrance. Everything was spread out around them with the laptops and toolbox in front and the items from the school store organized into small groups based on what they were. In order to begin the first phase of their plan, the laptops would need to have their keyboards removed. Then they would need the battery to give it an extra jumpstart, one that was stronger than the average battery and so would.

"Chihiro, which do you want to do, restart the laptops or set up the backup battery?"

"I'm not that good with setting up wires as I am with knowing which works in what way in which positions. Do you think you can do the latter for a while?"

"Sure, no problem."

While Makoto began removing wires and circuit boards from the small electronics so he could use them on the monitor he brought, Chihiro tended to the laptops. She was careful in handling them so they wouldn't break as she removed the keyboards to reveal the circuit boards. Using thin screwdrivers, she poked and prodded around to see what the problem was. Every now and then she would press the power buttons to see if there was a chance for them to start.

Eventually they switched jobs once small wires were carefully taken out and set in a pile alongside circuit boards waiting to be used. Once the outer shell of the monitor was taken apart, it was easy to connect things together. The remains of calculators, watches, and cameras were attached to the sides while the front halves of MP3 players were hooked to the top. The male programmer had to give her some instructions on how to place wires in certain areas correctly, but she got the job done without a cinch within the few hours they were there.

As it turned out, the laptops were deemed functional, but only once they had enough energy. Fortunately the "super battery", as they called it, was already set up and ready for its first use. They could only charge one laptop at a time, but managing to just get one to turn on would be a miracle and a success.

Her partner did the honors, having had stored a connecting cord in his sweatshirt pocket for this moment. They set one end on the laptop that had just gotten its keyboard cover back and the other onto the battery. When they saw the tiny orange light on the side to indicate the charging function, they began to grow impatient.

"Do you think it'll really work?" she asked him.

"We can only hope," he had replied back. After a good five minutes of charging, he pushed down on the power button.

The school's logo popped up on the screen.

"It works!" they exclaimed together. "We did it!"

"And it was all thanks to your work on the battery," Chihiro insisted.

Makoto gaped at her and shook his head. "What? No way! It was totally your progress on the laptops before we switched that did the most help!"

She couldn't bear to argue over something as trivial as this. She was happy now, because if they make any more progress on this project, then they could use their Alter Ego program to help find a way out of here in case the chances of being rescued were to become slimmer. It was pressed into her mind that she would be completely useless otherwise if she didn't have a computer to work with. On the other hand, she betted her partner was great at other kinds of things besides computers.

Without thinking, her happiness made her pull the boy into a hug, burying one side of her face into his sweatshirt where his chest was. She jumped slightly where she sat at the sudden invasion of a hand gently patting her head. She looked up at Makoto, whom the hand belonged to, as he smiled proudly down at her.

"You did a great job, Chihiro. We make a great team."

"Uh- Um, y-yeah, we do."

Blinking her bright hazel eyes, she couldn't help but push back against his hand. He then got a mischievous glint in his own brown eyes, one that she only saw when they first agreed to work together today. His fingers began running through her hair and she became lax against him.

_He feels warm_ , she mused, her cheeks heating up. _Probably because he's been wearing this sweatshirt ever since we got here- Oh, we're moving._ At that time, she felt a shift underneath her, and she realized that she was now curled up on his lap while he rested against the nearest wall. He never stopped stroking her hair, however, so she felt there was no need to complain.

It was a known fact among her friends back at junior high that she had a sensitive scalp. This was first discovered when someone patted her head and she emitted a sound not unlike a meowing kitten. They began petting her to brighten her mood or stroke her hair to calm her down, and Makoto doing this to her reminded her of those times. She liked how gentle he was being with her and how welcomingly warm he felt. She did not regret hugging him at all.

"Your hair's soft," Makoto whispered. "You're cuter than you think."

This earned a heated face pressing more against him. "Gosh, you heard that?"

"Taka's voice travels extremely far." He chuckled. "I'm sure his voice was heard by everybody if they weren't in their dorms. Still..." With a crooked index finger, he tilted her chin up so they made eye contact again. "I'm glad we got to work together. We're one step closer to completing our project. You're amazing."

Chihiro tugged her chin away so she didn't have to look at him anymore. As embarrassing as this was, she felt strangely comfortable with him. Why is that?

"You're amazing, too, Makoto."

At first there was a pause of silence, and then she felt the hand in her hair remove itself to punch the air. "Yes!" he shouted. "Yes! Finally! It happened!"

Pulling back completely so that she was sitting in front of him, she stared at him in confusion. "What are you referring to now?"

"Don't you see?!" His eyes were practically sparkling now. "You called me by my given name! That means you trust me!"

For a moment she stared at him in disbelief. He was right, she _did_ say his given name. Even after all they went through today, he still remembered that small yet apparently significant detail. She felt her shoulders shake and her lips part on their own as she burst into soft laughter at his weird thoughtfulness. Honestly, this boy was definitely something.

Her laughter must've been contagious, because now he was laughing along with her, having caught on to what she was laughing about. She was glad to know that he indeed saw himself as strange.

"Man, I can sense that sauna calling my name!"

The two froze when they heard a male voice from outside the entrance. Whoever was coming into the public bath was now coming up before them, and it turned out to be Leon Kuwata. While his eyes were closed and his arms were folded behind his head, they hurried quietly push their electronics behind them to hide what they've been up to.

"Whelp, time to stri- _Oh._ "

In the midst of hiding their work as best as they could, Chihiro's lower half had slid off of Makoto's lap during her attempt to grab a faraway screwdriver while still sitting down. However, this resulted in landing on her stomach nearby the former's knees with a loud "Oof!" sound. It was loud enough to make Leon snap his eyes open in his realization that he was not alone. Both parties stared at each other awkwardly.

"Uh, what're you two doing here?" Leon spoke up first, breaking the silence.

"O-Oh, y'know, just getting along," Makoto said in response, trying to come up with an excuse for the two of them. "W-We wanted to find a quiet place to talk, so we ended up here."

_Well, he's not wrong_ , the brunette thought.

The teenage heir blinked. "Here, by yourselves, hiding in the corner with Chi on your lap." Looking at each other first, they looked back to him and nodded in unison. He narrowed his eyes. "Hmph! Y'know, you don't have to lie." He saw their eyes widen, causing a smirk to form. "I mean, if you two wanna get it on, then go right ahead and I'll use the sauna some other time! Still, wouldn't expect someone like Chi here to be _that_ kind of girl, but it's understandable if you think about it. Hormones are hormones, after all!"

_... Hold on!_ She could feel her face begin to redden. _He can't possibly be implying that-_ "No, that's not it!" She raised her voice, though it was only slightly raised than its usual, softer tone. "That's not it at all!" She scrambled off of the other's lap and stood up between them. "And what do you mean by ' _that_ kind of girl'?!"

Leon shrugged. "A horny one."

" _I am asexual!_ " she declared, and that, right there, was actually the truth. Never in her entire life had she felt such attraction towards anyone, no matter the gender.

Hearing that seemed to be enough to get the intruder to back off. He held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, calm down there. I get it now, okay, so you don't have to feel upset." Sticking his hands in his jacket pockets, he continued. "Hooking up doesn't literally have to involve _hooking up_ , if you get me." The way he spoke made the second time he said "hooking up" have more emphasis, and that made her feel even more flustered.

"L-L-Leon-"

"Alright, you caught us."

She had to mentally admit that she nearly forgot Makoto was still sitting down behind her. She and Leon looked back to look at him. He was smiling again; how could he possibly manage that at such an embarrassing scene they were in?

"Yeah, you caught us here, but we weren't lying when I told you we were only here to talk. We decided we'd get to know each other."

Now understanding the situation, the redhead nodded. "Fine, I'll get off your guys' backs for real this time. I'll just use the sauna after dinnertime." At the mention of dinner, the brunets tilted their heads in confusion. "What, haven't you been paying attention? It's around four right now, and Hifumi scheduled for dinner to be at seven every night."

Similarly to how they did earlier, they looked at each other, then back at Leon. Only this time, they wore matching colored cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shared matching nervous laughs. They supposed time went by fast while they were enjoying themselves.

 

 

"Sakura, wait up!"

Thankfully, Sakura heard her small friend's call and turned around after she exited the kitchen, having washed her own dishes once she finished her meal for dinner - if you could consider heating up enough instant ramen to serve everyone but Byakuya a meal. She stood away from the door to allow the other students access so they could wash their bowls and spoons after throwing away their disposable chopsticks. Chihiro, having only given herself a small portion and therefore was among the first to already finish, walked up to her whilst wiping her palms on her skirt to remove the sweat.

"I-I want to consult your tarot cards," she said slowly, still tentative about talking to her about this. "Something came up, so I believe looking into my fortune should put me at ease."

"I suppose it's lucky for you that I have been carrying my tarot deck around since our friends' reading sessions this morning," Sakura answered her, basically agreeing to read her fortune. "Aoi is holding my book where we sat down for dinner. Would you care to do this at one of the tables?"

"That's fine by me." She beamed slightly up at the other. "I'm grateful for you taking time to do this."

"But of course; Aoi and I do worry about your wellbeing, along with everybody else's."

Hina was excited when she learned Chihiro was finally going to take up on their friend's offer to read her fortune with the tarot cards at their table. The cards were soon shuffled by her small hands and the first four at the top of the deck were chosen to lie facedown beside it. This time, Aoi held the book up, ready to look for any of the cards' meanings, while the other brunette waited, only she felt anxious where she sat patiently as she thought about why she wanted to do this in the first place.

_Doing this won't predict my future, but I am concerned about some things. Naegi- No, Makoto and I seem to be establishing a fast friendship; it happened so fast that it shouldn't be possible on only the second day. Come to think of it, Hina and Sakura are the same because the three of us are already getting along. This isn't a coincidence._

She held her breath each time Sakura flipped over a card. Hina would give a brief description on each one, but she only half-listened to them because she knew she would have time to read about them on her own later. Right now, she was more focused on the cards themselves.

Reversed Three of Cups. Ace of Cups. Nine of Swords.

She read briefly this morning about how a reversed card meant the opposite of its intended fortune, but she didn't know what these cards meant on their own; she was too busy staring at them to fully listen to Hina speak. Cups revolve around emotion, and she remembered how Sakura had a feeling they would come across more than one of the same suit because the Cups mainly associated with water-oriented horoscope signs, and she herself was a Pisces. From the symbols to what she already knew on the suit of Swords, she determined that she may face bad luck in the future.

What irony, given the title she had as a student of Hope's Peak Academy.

Ceasing her breathing once more, she watched the revealing of the final card which would predict the fortune of the outcome of her future based on the previous cards. Soon she was staring at an angel blowing into a trumpet in the heavens while people raised their arms to him not far below.

"Judgement," she heard Sakura say.

 

 

**MONOKUMA THEATRE**

Do my senses deceive me?

Do I hear laughs? Do I see smiles? The hostages seem to be getting along with each other quite well. What is this that rises from their casual adjusting to their new environment? Am I perhaps witnessing the growth of **hope**?

...

...

...

WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS?! THIS ISN'T WHAT I SET THIS ALL UP FOR! I NEED BETRAYAL! BLOOD! THIS CHEERY ATMOSPHERE MUST BE TAINTED WITH DESPAIR!!!

No, wait, I must stay calm. In through the nose and out through the mouth. In-two-three, out-two three... Hold on, I don't need to breathe like a human because I'm a robot - but not just any robot, I am Monokuma!

The setting is perfect and yet the worry they felt yesterday was nowhere near the despair I needed for my satisfaction... I suppose this was my own fault. Keh! Should've suspected that those bastards would need better encouragement to kill each other, other than that they would be free if they did.

I guess it's time to establish the first motive! I wonder if any of them ever read the Bible. Looks to me that none of them are religious, but at least one of them's had to have read it before. (My honey is on Fem!Sherlock over there.) Ah, I'm sure they'll understand when the time comes. They're idiots, but they're also very intelligent idiots, if anyone catches my drift.

Every single one of them is blessed with talent, but what's this? Despite being blessed, they might not deserve to be blessed, after all. Upupupupu...


	6. Even the Meek Are Guilty (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Five of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> The students, now adapting to their new environment, have a few discussions over breakfast. To disturb their peace, however, is Monokuma, with some "exciting" news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long! I tend to take long breaks in between finishing and posting chapters. (^_^;) I honestly wasn't expecting this chapter to be written up to over 4K words so quickly when I did start writing, which is technically a good thing. I hope this chapter makes up for my absence!
> 
> Fun Fact: My friends and I get annoyed so much by our classmates in English class, that I'm writing a story where we're trapped in a Hope's Peak Academy built in America and our classmates kill each other as our way of relieving stress.

" _Good morning, you bastards! It is now seven in the morning, the beginning of the daytime period. Time to rise and shine so we can seize the day once more!_ "

Chihiro was already awake by the time the morning announcement went off. She didn't get much sleep, but fortunately she made herself a pot of tea after dinner since she wasn't planning on sleeping much anyways. The tea as well as a few peppermint candies she found while looking for snacks in the storage room were enough to keep her up for a couple more hours, and then she retired sometime after midnight. However, she also set her alarm clock to an hour earlier than the morning announcements take place so she could get a head start on the day.

Not only did she spend last night reading Sakura's book on tarot reading to find a better understanding of her fortune that was told after dinner, but she had also spent this morning fixing up her own laptops with the "super battery" she and Makoto assembled the previous afternoon. She was glad she kept it after they hid the two now working laptops in the lockers in the public bath, but she knew that with the security cameras all over the school except in certain areas they would need to stow away their battery in there soon. Yesterday before dinner, her partner promised he would pick it up before they went to breakfast, which according to Hifumi would be taking place in the next half hour.

To keep her mind occupied while letting her laptops charge up, she thought about many things. She thought about the reversed Three of Cups she got for her past, depicting isolation from others having taken place and the need to begin connecting with people again; it made sense, given her transfer to a junior high outside her designated vicinity. She thought about the Ace of Cups representing her present situation, of how it meant the beginning of new relationships, and she could see that in the friendships she's made here already. She thought about the Nine of Swords being her future, and how it was one of the most dreaded cards of the tarot deck implying that immense sorrow and depression will be felt before healing can begin. Then, she thought about the Judgement card, and its mysterious implication that renewing will take place and steps must be taken to complete the changes.

She thought about the knife she found two days ago, and how she decided she would keep it in the drawer in the nightstand for now. Looking at it sent chills up her spine, reminding her of her profile on her ElectroID. Reminding her of a past she was determined to leave behind. She would simply ignore it for now to avoid giving herself anxiety.

She thought about how long they have been stuck in this school, an estimate of three full days. Though the others seemed hopeful that help would be coming for them eventually, her own hope on that matter was fading. Of course, she was more intent on following Celes' suggestion from the first day about adapting to their new environment. It made her wonder about what the others were truly thinking about their current situation, but it would be best not to dwindle on that idea for now.

Finally, she thought about Makoto Naegi, and how he seriously needed to get here so they could switch off before breakfast.

And as if her thoughts were heard, the doorbell to her dorm was rung. _Well, speak of the devil._ She got up from her seat at her desk, battery carried with both hands, and headed towards the door to answer it. Like she expected, Makoto was located on the other side.

"Nobody's out here, so let's make this quick," he whispered, the battery soon passed on into his care. "Thanks. I assume you got your own laptops up and running?"

"You're right," she whispered back. "I didn't turn them on yet but I can tell they're charged, so there should be no need to hide them yet. I find it best you hide the battery as soon as possible once you're done."

"Okay, noted." He smiled gently at her. "Bathhouse after breakfast?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you soon."

"Alright, bye."

The door was shut as soon as she confirmed he was close to his own dorm. Now that the stress of keeping the battery was off her shoulders, she realized just how tired she was. Unfortunately there was no time left for her to catch even a few minutes of sleep, what with there being twenty minutes left before breakfast, so she may as well prepare to leave the room to make it to the cafeteria early. Patting down her skirt to make sure her USB drive was still in its secret compartment just in case, she felt the tiny bump close to the outer side of her right knee and sighed in relief, then grabbed her dorm key and left once she deemed her appearance to be ready.

 

 

As it turned out, she was not the only one who was arriving early to the cafeteria. Sakura and Hina were already sitting together at one of the longer tables closer to the iron-plated windows. Voices could be heard in the kitchen over the sounds of sizzling from pans. The smell of bacon filled the air even from where she stood by the entrance.

"Good morning, Chi-chan!" Hina called out to her, flashing her usual, cheerful smile. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Good morning, and I did, thank you," she replied back, the second part a lie. She gave her greetings towards their clairvoyant friend as well. "Good morning, Sakura." She was satisfied with the nod of acknowledgement she received in return as she took an empty seat across from them. "Who's making breakfast this time?"

"Taka, Mukuro, and Hifumi," Hina answered. "They were here even before Sakura and I did and we got here shortly after the announcements, so probably half past six? Those three have been at it for a long time. When we checked on them, Taka and Hifumi were frying bacon and making scrambled eggs while Mukuro was roasting potatoes."

Chihiro smiled. "I suppose we will be having a lot of protein this morning. I'm sure that won't be a problem for Sakura and Mukuro, though." She and her taller brunette friend let out soft giggles.

"Protein is very important to Mukuro and I," Sakura stated, even shining a small grin. "We are not the only ones who need it in larger amounts than others, either; there is Sayaka, who must maintain herself to remain a fit soldier, as well as the athletes Kyoko and Yasuhiro. Let us not also forget Mondo-"

Hina leaned against her arm to interrupt her. "Alright, we get it. No need to lecture us." She patted her forearm, smiling sweetly. "But seriously, Sakura, what got you into being so muscly? No one would have ever been able to tell you're a fortune teller if you didn't tell them."

"The Oogami family owns a dojo. As a child, I was very short-tempered, so my family took it upon themselves to train me so that I had a healthy way of controlling myself." She looked onwards at no particular thing, pensiveness in her eyes. "Once I gained inner peace, that was when I began having visions, and we discovered that through my training I unlocked my spiritual power. From then on, I would exercise among other things in order to clear my mind so that I could become more in touch with that power."

The two brunettes stared at her in awe, amazed by her story. She looked down at both of them with a thoughtful smile of her own. "Besides consistent exercising, I also practice meditation, yoga, and hypnosis. Simply resting my eyes works as well."

And her friends continued to quietly admire her from where they sat. To them, she was radiating with health and serenity. She was such a calming presence and learning about her past made her seem even more charming if anything else.

By the time Hifumi, Taka, and Mukuro were out of the kitchen carrying trays with several plates of equally-proportioned food - almost equally, actually, for Sakura's lecture about protein was revealing itself on some plates - into the cafeteria, the other students were beginning to arrive. Mondo was greeted by his childhood friend holding a plate saved for him, containing what appeared to be double the amount of roasted potatoes compared to the others. Junko was greeted in a similar fashion by her sister as she saved a seat beside her, where a plate with slightly more eggs was waiting to be eaten. Following them afterwards were Sayaka, Celes, Hiro, and Makoto.

The latter male mentioned took a seat beside Chihiro, who was already nibbling on her scrambled eggs on her fork. It did feel nice to eat a freshly cooked meal rather than the instant foods they had the two nights before. By the looks of the others, they must be sharing the same opinion.

"I hid the battery in the bathhouse," Makoto whispered, lips hidden behind a strip of bacon to avoid being seen to be talking by anyone else. His partner gave a simple, short nod before they both returned to their food.

Unfortunately, thanks to being an idol, Hina seemed to be able to read them carefully. "What are you two talking about?" she asked, looking back and forth between them.

"Nothing," they replied at the same time.

She narrowed her eyes. "You two've been acting weird since yesterday. Mukuro-chan told me all about how you-" She pointed at Chihiro. "-were carrying stuff from the school store, and you-" Then she pointed at Makoto. "-were waiting by the classrooms, and she told me you were waiting for Chi-chan." Folding her arms onto the table with her plate out of harm's way, she flashed a smirk. "As an idol, I've learned that I have to be able to read the faces and body languages of many people. Coupled with Mukuro-chan's testimony, I know you two have a secret."

"My, my, it seems you may have what it takes to be a detective," Celes spoke up as she took a seat on Makoto's other side. "You have quite the sharp eyes, Asahina."

"Thanks, Celes-chan, and it's always fine to call me Hina if you want!"

"I'll consider it, _Asahina_." Red eyes glanced at the two suspects who sat beside her. "You don't have to hide anything. All you've done was heed and follow through with my advice, right?"

Hina blinked. "'Advice'?"

"Correct. You see, I suggested these two spend yesterday together due to some hostility I sensed between them. As you can see now, they are much closer." She grinned calmly at them. "Tell me, where did you two go off to? I haven't seen either of you all yesterday afternoon."

Chihiro looked to Makoto for permission, the response being a nod. They couldn't reveal their true intentions, but they could still tell some things to please the detective.

"We stayed in Makoto's room. We only went out once in order to find things we could occupy ourselves with so we wouldn't get bored. Then, we went back until it was dinnertime."

She couldn't tell if Celes believed her or not. After all, she was a detective, and a very bright one on top of that. If she wanted to, she could say she could see right through her right now. That would actually be much better than the analyzing stare she got, understanding that her facial expression was being read at the moment.

However, they never got around to figuring out what was on her mind, for in came Leon, Kyoko, and Byakuya with Touko following not far behind him. Leon's presence alone was enough to draw away attention when he shouted from across the room what there was to eat, prompting Hifumi to come over with a plate for the heir and a lecture on using "indoor voices". Byakuya passed them by believing it served him right, while Touko let out the slightest of a snicker.

"Since everyone is finally here," Hifumi said to his classmates once they were all seated around the table and eating, "I believe it is time we consider our current situation once more. It has been three days since we first arrived at this school, so it's possible for us to expect help soon."

He was met with murmurs among the other students, and that was when Chihiro realized she was not the only one having doubts about the chances of them escaping without having to follow through with Monokuma's "graduation" rule. She could hear Junko quietly arguing with Mukuro, stating that she was sure they would get out like how she had been hoping so ever since the first day. Hiro, Mondo, and Taka were sharing looks of discomfort. Even Hina was displaying worry over the subject.

Then she looked at Makoto, who was not smiling anymore. Whenever he was not smiling, it was because he was either serious or anxious. She had to admit, she didn't like such an expression on him. His smile suited him much better. Surely there was something she could do or say to lift his and the others' spirits up.

"I-I never really believed we'd get out of here soon," she said, raising her voice so she could be heard. All voices hushed and all eyes focused on her, making her nervous. Beneath the table, she was wiping her sweaty palms against her skirt. She cleared her throat. "Ever since we learned what we were getting into, actually - even then I doubted we would be able to seek help from the outside." She stood up in order to be seen better given her small size. "On the other hand, that doesn't mean we should just give up yet."

"Then what do we do, Fujisaki?" Celes questioned, but it was not to stump her. The question was asked because they both knew the answer.

"We keep adapting, just like what you said, Celes. It would actually be best to accept the idea of staying here for a longer period of time, but we can still try to find ways to get out of here."

"Chihiro's right!" Now standing up next to her was Makoto. "If we can't get help from the outside, then we should help ourselves. We are SHSL students, so we just have to work together and maybe, just maybe, we can figure out how to escape." He glanced at his partner with a hopeful smile. "Don't you agree?"

It came to her what he was referring to. _The battery... the monitors... the laptops... Alter Ego!_

"Oh, yes! Of course!"

"Well, I'm definitely in now!" Hina exclaimed, standing out of her seat, her attitude back to normal. "I'll be with Chi-chan every step of the way, whatever it takes!" She glanced at Sakura. "How 'bout you, Sakura?"

The clairvoyant gave a nod. "After consulting the tarot cards for others' fortunes, it has been confirmed that working together will prove to have positive effects for us if we go along."

One by one, some of the other students began to count themselves in. Eventually everyone was standing and accepting the idea of saving themselves from this place, including the ever-so-hesitant Byakuya who claimed he "would feel inferior if he were to be left out, no matter the ridiculousness" and Touko who was actually the one to convince the former to join in. Chihiro looked around at how willing they all were now to cooperate with each other.

 _Maybe this could actually work out_ , she thought. _Maybe we can really-_

" _Upupupupu...!!_ "

But of course, the mood was shattered with Monokuma's laughter as the robotic bear climbed onto an empty chair and stood up on it. Anyone who was close to him immediately backed up. Sayaka could be seen keeping an especially narrowed glance at Touko in case she got worked up enough to make the bear explode again. "Look at all of you, acting so buddy-buddy!" His cheerful tone then transformed into one of disgust. "BLECH! Makes me sick!"

"What are you doing here, Monokuma?" Kyoko asked, her arms folded and her eyes giving him a piercingly icy stare. To emphasize it, he actually shivered at her gaze. "Surely you did not come here just to check up on us."

The bear nodded. "Of course not! I just wanted to put a stop to all this lousy hope spreading around! It's like some kind of disease, but I'm actually glad it ain't, 'cause otherwise y'all'd be dead and there'd be no fun in that, right?" He cleared his throat. "Anyway, the real reason why I'm here is because I am calling for an assembly meeting in the gymnasium in ten minutes. This is required for all students!" He looked about at the students who were still questioning his presence, making him irritated.

"Don't just stand there! Get yer asses to the gym, pronto!"

 

 

Sixteen large manila envelopes were stacked on the podium of the stage that Monokuma stood at the bottom of. A table was set out at the end with a black plastic bin on one side and what seemed to be a checklist in the center. The students who entered the gymnasium to this sight eyed the bear, suspicious of his purpose for bringing them here.

"Before we begin the assembly," he began, "I would like to register all weapons on any of yer bodies into the system. Some people's weapons are integral to their characters, so since this a school environment, you must be given special permission to keep any weapons you have not stolen from this school."

"Weapons should not be allowed in a school environment whatsoever!" Hifumi objected. "If anything, all weapons should be revealed and turned in as soon as possible!"

"Yeah, well, I'm the headmaster, lardo, which is why it's required to have my permission to keep any weapons any of you may possess!"

"My word-!"

"Enough, Yamada," Celes interjected, silencing him. "We may as well do what he says."

"Yes, because this will give us a chance to see how trustworthy everyone is," Byakuya added, folding his arms and fixing his glasses.

Uneasy glances were what he received in response. Hina especially looked uneasy, what with her practically glaring holes into the back of his head once he passed by, prompting Chihiro to ask her if she was okay. She sighed and replied that he made her uncomfortable.

As soon as everyone had settled down, Monokuma got onto the table and called for anyone who possessed weapons to step forward. Unsurprisingly, Sayaka and Touko were the only ones to walk up to the table after some hesitance. He made the request for them to remove their weapons from their beings for viewing, to which both complied.

Sayaka handed over a large survival knife from a utility belt inside her jumpsuit, one revealed to have a single-sided blade that was almost the length of her forearm by itself when she unveiled it from its protective leather sheath. Having known she would be forced to limit the amount of weapons she'd carry once she learned of her acceptance into this school, her father only permitted her to take this knife... as well as a handgun with extra ammunition.

"The gun and ammo I can't approve," Monokuma said.

"Fine by me," she replied, already knowing that would be the case. She walked away from the table once her restricted weapon was placed inside a plastic bin for confiscation.

After her was Touko, who dug into the pockets within her leather jacket with one hand. Meanwhile, she crouched down onto one knee so her other hand could reach up into the leg of her jeans. The others watched her curiously before she stood back up with two silver blades sticking out of her fists while the handles were hidden by her sleeves. She glanced around at them as Monokuma took notes on them, narrowing her eyes at them until they eventually backed off. As soon as her registration was finished, she swiftly put both of her weapons inside her jacket and out of sight.

"Alrighty, now that that's over," the bear continued from where he left off, "let's start the assembly right away! First of all, how many of you've read the Bible?" Only a few hands shot up, namely Celes', Byakuya's, Sakura's, and, strangely, Junko's - even her own sister Mukuro was shocked by this. "Well then, for the bastards who have, you should know about the eight Beatitudes."

"'Beatitudes'?" Chihiro repeated softly, to which Celes quickly explained out loud.

"A beatitude is deemed to mean 'supreme blessedness' on its own. The eight Beatitudes that Monokuma refers to are the blessings listed by Jesus Christ during the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel according to Matthew. Each one describes how a person could be 'blessed' and how those with those blessings will be rewarded."

"Correctamundo, and now I can provide my explanation for this assembly without further ado." Monokuma gestured towards the envelopes on the podium onstage. "Eight of you will be receiving the first half of a Beatitude, while the rest of you will have one of the formers'; whether you figure out who's got who afterwards is all on you. Eight Beatitudes, so eight students will be recognized for being blessed, right?" He stamped his foot loudly on the table once. "Wrong! Rather, the lucky eight have a secret to hide, so yer all going to be exposed to one of theirs! Yer all gonna come up soon and see whatcha got, but you can keep yer own closed for now as long as it's opened soon."

A gasp emitted from a few of them. It was already bad enough that eight of them had secrets to hide, but for whoever those eight were going to be, their secrets would be revealed?! Whoever's secrets these were and whatever they must be, they have to be very deep for the owners to be desperate enough to keep them hidden. They looked among themselves, wondering who were the most likely candidates for the "blessings".

One by one, they were called up by name to grab a manila envelope once Monokuma was up on the podium. They each climbed the steps, some noticeably nervously walking across the stage to the stand, taking their envelope without a word. Since it went by surname in alphabetical order, Hina went first, then Junko, and Chihiro went up after Touko received hers. She eventually held her assigned envelope in slightly trembling fingers, but she was not allowed to leave the stage just yet. Apparently the bear needed to whisper something into her ear, away from the microphone so he could not be overheard.

"Yer lucky that yer so likable, _Dolly_ , because otherwise that knife in yer room wouldn't've been already registered before the assembly."

Her spine ran cold at that, especially at that nickname, and she immediately hurried off to her awaiting idol friend. She felt much better now that she had some space away from the stage. It was also relaxing to have Hina's presence as she placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Feeling more in control of herself, she looked down at her envelope which had her name on a white label over it. She may as well get it over with so she could think it through once she had time, so she decided she would open hers when everybody else got theirs.

It turned out the others must have been thinking the same thing, for everyone opened their envelopes at relatively the same time. They spaced themselves out so they could have some privacy in the midst of their quiet discoveries.

"What... the hell?" Leon was the first to speak up, having a document pulled halfway out as he read through the contents. "This is... No way!"

"B-B-Bull!" Touko hissed. She stuffed what seemed to be a photograph back into her envelope before she sent daggers at the one on the podium. "H-How do you h-h-have these things?!"

"Upupu! Yer all prodigies in something, so of course I'm gonna have my sources on ya!"

Chihiro was beginning to feel tentative the closer her thumb was to unfolding the top of the envelope. She gulped and reminded herself that she wanted to make this quick. She had to be prepared with whatever was waiting for her inside, but the only thing she could think about was her number-one secret being in there. What could be worse than that?

 _I can't look away_ , she thought, finally opening her envelope and pulling out a few documents and photographs held together by a couple paper clips. _I won't look away from whatever is- ... Oh._

She never looked away because she could never bring herself to do so with all of this weight suddenly falling down on her. Her widened eyes stared at a picture of three bodies covered heavily in drying blood, the faces whom she recognized from the very past she thought about early this morning, the one she wished dearly to leave behind.

Of course... _Of course_ her secret for this motive had to involve _them_. She should've expected this, if she had not been repressing her sins into the far back of her mind in hopes of being forgotten. What frightened her even more was the caption written on the white frame around the small photo, the one that explained her "blessing".

**_Blessed are the meek..._ **


	7. Even the Meek Are Guilty (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Six of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> A brief Free Time period takes place as our dear Lady Luck is forced to confront her memories from her "blessing", and soon others begin to provide comfort for her in different ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly... disappointed, by how this chapter turned out... I don't know, this just isn't my best chapter. I kinda had to force myself through this one.
> 
> A big thank you to my readers, though, for being patient with me! I promise next chapter will be much better!

They were going to be given three days to murder someone in order for either the eight chosen people to protect their secrets, or for their matches to come after them first in an attempt to stay alive. If no one died within those three days, Monokuma threatened to reveal their secrets to the outside world, which added on to the uneasiness already in the atmosphere. 

As soon as they were dismissed and the bear was out of sight, Chihiro headed towards the exit with her envelope held against her chest with one arm while the other dangled at her side, her small legs carrying her there almost as if she was in a trance, and she might as well have been. All other noises were drowned out of her ears and she could only focus on the door ahead of her. She ignored the ones who called out for her, even when Hina and Sakura joined in. The only time she stopped was when she felt her free wrist being grabbed and tugged back, stopping her in her tracks.

Makoto had been the one, it seemed. She looked back and up at him, understanding the concern written all over his face yet not caring for it. In her attempt to free herself, she tried releasing her wrist from his grip, but to no avail; if anything, she felt it tighten.

"You okay?" he whispered to her. "We're all unnerved by the motive, don't worry. You're not the only one..." Letting go of her, his lips formed an unsteady line. "Are you still willing to meet me at the bathhouse?"

She stared at him blankly with her mouth shut, her head filled to the brim with words but her vocal cords unwilling to form them. All she could do was think and thinking has already caused her so much mental exhaustion for it only being nine in the morning.

She managed an answer, nonetheless, in her attempt to push her exhaustion aside. "I am, just give me some time to myself."

It seemed to be enough to satisfy him, for a slight grin was now on his face. It didn't compare to his signature smile, the bright one full of hope, but she felt pleased to stir this much of a reaction from him. He only had to nod in understanding and soon she was gone, breaking into a run once she passed through the trophy room and was out in the hallway.

Not once did she stop to rest on her way to her dorm. She near-sprinted all the way there, envelope hugged by both arms now, until her shaking hands got out her key and unlocked her door before she hurried inside. Making sure no one had followed her, she closed the door behind her and locked it, then moved closer to the center of her room. Only then did she relax.

Falling to her knees, she let her manila envelope drop out of her now loose hold and onto the floor in front of her. She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing herself while doing the simple breathing exercises she practiced to avoid an anxiety attack. All of the words in her head threatened to spill out now that she was alone in her room of soundproof walls. It only took one more glance at her envelope for her to snap.

The first thing she did was scream. She screamed at the top of her lungs until her throat felt dry. Her fingers reached up and curled around light brunette locks, yanking at them to the point the roots threatened to tear out of her scalp. Unable to tolerate the stinging sensation there, she let go of her hair and resorted to digging her fists into the floor. Hot tears poured out in droplets from her reddening eyes.

She never wanted this to be revealed to anyone, and Monokuma knew that, just like how her ElectroID displayed her biological sex and she was set up on the first day to keep a knife in her possession. She felt sick and lightheaded, her stomach twisting up into knots, her heart's thumping forming a pain in her chest, her lungs raw from screaming.

_Why is this happening to us?!_ she thought. _Why is this happening to **me**?!_

Her inner turmoil continued to swirl as her ears picked up the doorbell to her room being rung. Instinctively, she wiped the tears away from her face and took deep breaths in hopes the redness would fade away soon. She honestly didn't want to see anyone yet, but she didn't want to let her unknown visitor stand outside for long, so she got up to her feet and staggered towards the door.

To her confusion, Touko Fukawa was waiting for her on the other side when she opened the door after making sure all tears were gone. Her hands were stuffed into the outer pockets of her burgundy leather jacket while she looked down at her. She seemed rather genuinely concerned about something, which was odd.

"M-Mind if I come in?" she asked. She turned her head to the side, one of her braids flipping over the front of her shoulder. "I-I mean, t-there's no reason t-to let in someone l-l-like me, but-"

"No, it's fine," Chihiro quickly told her, opening the door wider and stepping to the side to let her in. "You can come inside. I don't mind." She sort of did, but she didn't want to be rude. Once she was inside, the door was closed and locked. "What brings you here, Fukawa-san?"

Touko's eyes narrowed. "'Fukawa-san'?"

Blood could be felt rushing back into her cheeks, but this time from nervousness. "M-My apologies, but I tend to call other people by their last names if I don't know them well."

There was a nonchalant flick of the wrist as the concern was waved off. "Nah, never mind, I-I get it." The taller girl went over to the small table by the bookshelf and leaned back against it. "Look, I c-c-came here to check on you, s-since you didn't seem t-to take the motive well. Don't think _anyone_ t-took it well, anyways."

"I'm feeling better now, though," the brunette insisted, though her still flushed face and drying eyes gave away to her lie.

"Bullshit." Touko crouched down on the floor and picked up Chihiro's envelope, causing her to reveal her panic, proving the former's point. "I-I won't open it," she assured her. "But t-this _is_ what I w-wanna talk about."

What she said next was, surprisingly, said without any stuttering at all. "Whatever you did, I know it hit you hard, and I was able to tell you're one of the 'blessed' ones that stupid bear talked about. You don't have to tell me what you did, but I want us to be equals on this. After all, I'm not your match, because I'm a 'blessed' one, too. 

Chihiro's arms wrapped around herself again. She could feel her body shake against her own hands. "W-What do you mean?"

"I mean that we both did something fucked up, but you and I can trust each other. Do you feel like you're willing to kill somebody to keep your secret safe?"

"No, o-of course not!"

"Alright, then you and I're good." Touko neared her with the envelope out for her to take. "Us chicks, we gotta stick together, keep each other strong. My girls in the Wild Lilies treat each other as sisters." She kept her hand held out. "Lemme make you a member of the gang and we'll toughen each other up, and this'll be a promise between sisters, y'hear?"

The idea of being "sisters" brought about this warm sense of belonging in Chihiro. She remembered the girls at the junior high who adored her and treated her like a younger sister. After leaving and being accepted into Hope's Peak, she had forgotten how that felt. Being in such a bond again did sound pleasing, almost comforting if her mind was not still on the rack. Touko wasn't opening up to her, but at least she was willing to be friends with her.

Reaching out, she took the gang leader's hand and sandwiched it between both of hers. "I would be honored to be sisters with you!"

A grin that she had never seen before was flashed. "That's the spirit. You and I're gonna make a kickass team, I bet!" Her eyes lit up. "Hey, I'll even mend you one o' my Wild Lilies jackets! It'll look great on you and make you look tough!"

"Oh, y-you don't have to-"

"Don't try to change my mind, Chi!" She paused, and slowly her nervous behavior came back. "Well... i-if you don't mind me c-c-calling you that... as long as y-you don't mind calling me T-Touko." 

"We're sisters now, so that's fine by me. I'll see you later, Touko."

With Touko leaving her room, Chihiro silently thanked her. It still confused her that she of all people would come to see her, but the effort was dearly appreciated. She felt a little better, at least enough to go outside and face everyone again, especially now that she had gotten along with another student.

Speaking of which, she still had to go meet Makoto at the bathhouse.

 

 

When she arrived at the bathhouse, her partner was already waiting in the corner they were sitting in yesterday. Their "super battery" along with Makoto's charged up laptops, monitor, and toolbox were spread out on the floor around him. He looked up at her with a gentle smile that silently asked if she was okay. It was clear she wasn't, but she still smiled back to reassure him she would survive. She flattened the back of her skirt as she stepped over the devices and took a seat beside him.

Neither of them spoke at first. They sat on their knees and stared down at the floor quietly. Whenever either of them would glance at the other, the former would look away before the latter would turn to glance back. Chihiro continuously wiped sweat from her palms onto her skirt. At least it wasn't an awkward silence between them; it was more of her still feeling too shaken up to speak, so she was hoping he would break the ice.

Hearing Makoto sigh, she peeked at him from the corner of her eye hidden behind her bangs. She brushed those locks away in time to see him hold out the manila envelope that had his name on it - his part of a Beatitude.

"Makoto?" she whispered with uncertainty. "Why are you...?"

"I... I have _you_ , as my match," he confessed slowly. The hand holding his envelope out began to shake. "We can't get rid of our assigned envelopes, I know... b-but you deserve to look."

She took his envelope without further question. Just knowing they were matches told her that he _knew_. He knew what she did; was he shaking because he was scared of her? With the way she unintentionally acted in front of everybody back at the gymnasium and how he was acting now, the others would begin to grow suspicious of her. They might even ask her what she got.

_No... not after I've managed to hide it for so long...!_

Her breath was held in as she opened the top and pulled out a photo of three corpses, similar to the one she had in her own envelope. Following that were a couple more pictures and a few documents on the investigation. At first she only stared down at them in disbelief. How could Monokuma have obtained police files on unsolved cases?

With a slow breath, she read through the first document which was on the three victims, no matter how hard it was to remain calm at this point.

 

_**Name:** Keiko Hanase_

_**Age:** 13_

_**Date of Birth:** December 1, 1996_

_**Date of Death:** March 7, 2009_

_**Cause of Death:** Direct stab into heart_

_**Location of Death:** Alleyway in Downtown, Approx. Half an hour prior to 11:00 PM_

_**Other Injuries or Marks:** Hanase received a stab wound on her left forearm which tore up the sleeve of her school uniform, and her right wrist was broken. Both wounds have been confirmed to have been caused by a struggle with the culprit. _

 

_**Name:** Sami Ono_

_**Age:** 14_

_**Date of Birth:** January 9, 1995_

_**Date of Death:** March 7, 2009_

_**Cause of Death:** Slashed throat_

_**Location of Death:** Alleyway in Downtown, Approx. 11:00 PM_

_**Other Injuries or Marks:** Ono possesses bruises on her chest from applied pressure, most likely to hold her down given her position on the ground upon discovery. Besides the cut which slit her throat, there are several stab wounds along and around it, possibly formed due to the culprit's instability. _

 

_**Name:** Yu Sataka_

_**Age:** 14_

_**Date of Birth:** May 15, 1995 _

_**Date of Death:** March 7, 2009_

_**Cause of Death:** Excessive bleeding_

_**Location of Death:** Alleyway in Downtown, Approx. 11:00 PM_

_**Other Injuries or Marks:** Sataka's achilles heels were slit and her right leg suffered multiple stabs down her thigh, followed by exactly eleven slash marks found along both of her wrists. Her stomach was revealed to have been cut open deep enough for blood to spill out, which is the main source of her wounds. Given the ropes bounding her wrists and ankles, as well as the gag in between her teeth, the culprit meant to torture her and let her die slowly compared to the quicker deaths of her friends. _

 

"Chihiro," Makoto said, halting her in her reading. The small brunette jumped slightly for she had forgotten where she currently was and who was with her at this moment. She looked back to him. "Who were these girls?" 

"My..." she began, but then she bit her lip. Bringing the first photo back to hold it before them, her thumbs pressed into the sides of the white frame. "My... bullies." She dropped the photo and revealed how much her hands were quivering while her fingers twitched. "I went to two different junior highs, but the second one was farther outside my home's vicinity because I transferred schools in the middle of my second year due to being bullied for a secret of mine.

"Sometime after winter break, I started getting anonymous messages saying that if I didn't do what they said, they would reveal my secret to everyone at the school I transferred to. I was too scared to tell anyone so I went along with it. Once a week they'd email me and tell me to humiliate myself in some way, shape, or form. After a month, they made me sneak out of my house late at night and go out into town by myself to meet them."

Makoto reached out to her and brushed his fingers against her left hand. She flinched at first, but relaxed when she understood what he was trying to do. He slowly took her hand before intertwining their fingers. It was as if she didn't need him to speak at all to know what he was trying to tell her: _You don't have to keep going if you don't want to_.

But at this point, she may as well continue. "Dad normally has me carry pepper spray wherever I go, but I didn't feel safe only having that with me considering how late it was and how far from home I was going to be. Before I snuck out while my parents were asleep, I took one of the kitchen knives and hid it in my purse."

"And you used it," he said, suggesting what happened next.

She nodded. "I wasn't planning to, not even if I were provoked since I had my pepper spray."

Her right hand was extended out so she could point at a school photo of one of the girls in the police files, the girl with caramel curls tied into low pigtails and matching-colored eyes. In the crime scene picture, she was the corpse with what could be considered the "cleanest" body since she only had blood seeping through the chest area of her uniform. Memories flowed into her mind as she spoke.

"Keiko Hanase was younger than I was who was taller than me, a first-year in junior high before I transferred schools, but during those few months I knew her and she became friends with the bullies in the same year as me, she would push me around and call me weak for letting her do that. When I recognized her, I understood immediately that she and the other girls were the ones blackmailing me.

"She said the others would be arriving after her because they sent her to make sure I came, but she wanted to roughen me up 'for old time's sake'. In the midst of trying to escape her, she managed to corner me. I had taken my knife out instead of my pepper spray on accident and it went straight into her heart before she could pounce completely on me. She was dead soon after but too heavy to push off." Before her eyes, she saw flashes of the life leaving that girl's eyes and recalled the feeling of her body going limp against her. Then she saw everything else that happened on that fateful night, starting with a vision of deep red, chin-length hair and angry green eyes.

"Sami Ono and I actually used to be friends until she started spending time with Yu Sataka, so after they discovered my secret she betrayed me. She tried to attack me when she and Yu came upon me pushing Keiko's body off of me... and I snapped. Adrenaline took over and before I knew it I'd managed to overpower her. I don't even remember why I used my knife on her but I did.

"The thing is, though, I had to first defend myself from Yu, which is why I stabbed her leg and ankles when she pushed me to the ground. Sami had rope and tried using that to keep me still, but that was when the adrenaline kicked in. Everything... was such a blur..." Chihiro blinked at the sudden confusion, and she held her head with her free hand. "When I came to... I was surrounded by dead bodies and blood everywhere, and Yu was tied up and dead. I don't even recall ever doing that."

_Does Makoto hate me now? Does he not trust me anymore?_ These questions, among others, swirled in her head. _I wouldn't blame him if he does. After all, no one would ever suspect someone as weak as I am to be capable of all that I said._

"Who was that last girl to you?" She stared at Makoto with a tilted head. He gestured towards the last girl in the file, the one whose sides of her long black hair were pulled back into a tiny ponytail in the back of her head and had dull blue eyes staring at nothing through eyelids halfway open. "That girl, Yu, who was she?"

"M-My main bully. She was the one that started everything."

There was nothing left to be said about her. Yu bullied her even before she discovered her true identity. She had nothing else to say, not even about how she couldn't stand being tormented by her. She hated violence and yet she was constantly around it because of her. After that one night, she had to put up a front that masked her anxiety just so she could allow herself to lose control when she found herself alone.

She always told herself she would never be able to bring herself to kill anyone, but all this time she knew she was only lying to herself. She had already brought herself to do so, albeit on accident at first before adrenaline took over. She was nothing but a pack of lies.

And yet Makoto had decided to unlink their hands so he could wrap his arms around her in a sideway embrace. He tucked the crown of her head under his chin. Then he used the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe her face, and that was when she realized she was crying for the second time today. She did nothing to object, only lean against his comforting presence and drink up the warmth he gave her. Once more neither of them had to speak for her to know what he was trying to tell her.

_That's enough sadness for today, don't you think?_ He was right, but the tears kept coming.

 

 

"One, two, three four! Five, six, seven, eight! One, two..."

Chihiro had managed to stop crying long enough to help Makoto fix up the programming on the laptops already turned on. They wouldn't be able to connect their pieces of the Alter Ego project yet, not until they checked the software's readiness to accept new programs into their systems before considering the idea of building up their security measures, which would come in handy for if Monokuma tried to intervene. After spending two hours on that, they decided they would go to the cafeteria for an early and well-deserved lunch, even if the smaller brunette did not feel too hungry.

Upon their arrival, they came upon Hina, who seemed to have pushed some of the chairs and tables away to make some more room for herself as she counted up to a rhythm of eight in time with her dance moves. Her back was facing them and the entrance, so she did not notice them walking in. She only did so when she did a twirl in the middle of her routine.

"One, two, three, four! Five, six, seven, ei- Ah, hi there, Chi-chan! You, too, Makoto!" She ceased her dancing to wave hello. "Don't mind me, I'm just brushing up on my choreography; it helps me clear my head and it's a great stress reliever."

The two nodded in understanding and made sure not to get in her way on their way to look for food in the kitchen. Makoto volunteered to make sandwiches for them - including Hina, who looked like she would appreciate having one when she'd have to take a break. He turned down Chihiro's offer to help, insisting and going as far as gently pushing her out of the kitchen to wait. She sighed in defeat and resorted to watching her other friend practice her dancing.

"Hey, Chi-chan, do you watch anime?" Hina asked her. She stopped once more and faced Chihiro, who sat on a chair to her side.

"Not really, but I'll watch it sometimes if my friends back in junior high want to," she replied.

There was a soft hum. "I see... Well, it's cause there's this animation company that's planning on releasing an announcement on launching a project about an anime about idols, and I was offered to audition for a role as a main character!"

"Really? That sounds great!"

"I know, right?!" The idol strode over and sat beside her friend. "Not only that, but if I make it, whoever else makes the audition will perform with me as a live group!" Her smile suddenly had a touch of sadness. "I'm kind of conflicted because of it, 'cause then it'll interfere with when I get back to my girls at Crystal Drops and there's no way I'd ever leave them for another group, but this audition could change my career big time. What's worse is, none of my other friends were offered to try out. They were disappointed about it, but nonetheless they promised they would cheer me on."

Sometimes Chihiro forgot about how tough being an idol must be. From what she learned about Hina and her group before coming here, Hina started the group herself with some childhood friends. Though she wasn't the best at writing their songs and she was definitely ditzy sometimes, her determination and her being able to spark positivity in their fans was what made her so great. It would be a shame if her group came all this way with all their hard word only to dissolve or go on a longer hiatus. There was no way she could relate to her struggles.

But, the least she could do was keep her cheerful, so she got out of her seat and held a hand out. It was soon used to help the other out of her own chair.

"Do you mind teaching me some moves? Let's practice together!"

Hina's smile soon became completely happy once more. "Sure, let's do it!"

In the next hour, far past after Makoto finished making lunch for the three of them, the two girls had what Hina claimed was only a quarter of the routine down, but Chihiro was already tired while going through half of that. After they had lunch, she had down most of that part without slipping up, which was quite an accomplishment; she wasn't one to move so much, especially as a child due to having a frail body.

With Hina's guidance, Chihiro was able to follow her directions and their bodies were in sync with each other. She didn't know she was capable of dancing this well even after so much practice. It made her feel much more flexible and free, like weights were coming off her shoulders so she could focus on just this.

Just keep dancing... Just keep dancing, and forget everything else. Forget... about what you've been through... Keep dancing and clear your mind.

 

 

**MONOKUMA THEATRE**

Ah, so it seems the doll has taken to dancing. She follows her friend's instructions as if she's a puppet — a tiny marionette, maybe. Unfortunately, she's still human, so she can't escape her sins. None of the other "blessed" can, really.

Upu, it's so fantastic, the looks of despair on the bastards' faces. How the dance instructor was able to put up with this even after confronting Fem!Sherlock, I've got no idea, but no matter; there are plenty of other students to pick off from who to bet on. I wonder who'll crack first. I'm sure the ol' brains behind this whole thing wouldn't mind having a little wager with me.

Lady Luck's definitely off the list of options, though she could always surprise us. Yeah, she'll be off until later in this game. Her despairing reactions are enough entertainment for now. She'll be bound to snap by the time everything catches up to-

Oh, oops! I nearly gave away mega spoiler! How careless of me! Looks like I'll have to keep my muzzle shut till she knows herself...

...

...

...

This is so unbearably boooorrrriiiinnnngg!!! But no matter, I'm sure this place will be filled to the brim with despair soon! Can't wait till it starts! Upupupupu...!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Hina and Chihiro dancing together was actually the scene that encouraged me to write this story in the first place. I love the idea of these two precious cinnamon rolls being close friends so much.
> 
> Fun Fact: Touko's scene was actually unexpected even for me, but in the next couple chapters I will say she becomes a key character so I needed her to interact with Chihiro more.
> 
> Fun Fact: The birthdays and death date of Chihiro's three bullies (made up btw) all have significant meanings. Cookies to those who can figure them out!


	8. Even the Meek Are Guilty (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Seven of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> It's the final day for the Beatitudes motive, and it so happens to also be the day tensions seem to rise the most. All Chihiro needs to do is get through this day and it will all be over... or will it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this makes up for the previous chapter since I found it kinda sucky. Since spring break is here, I'll try to update at least one more time due to morning practices for my school's track team and two of my advanced classes assigning homework for over the break... Oh joy...

By the time two days passed, the dancing duo of Chihiro Fujisaki and Aoi Asahina were performing for their classmates in the cafeteria the routine Hina had set up. It was suspicious at first when everyone found out she was allowed to keep her MP3 player, which she found in her room but never took out and used, but then they came to brush it off since its only function was playing the music downloaded on there. No one objected to them practicing in the cafeteria or performing for them, as long as they didn't get in the way if anyone happened to be eating. 

By the time two days passed, Hina convinced Chihiro to get acquainted with both the laundry basket she was given and the wardrobe provided for her in her room. After five days in total, everyone was beginning to grow uncomfortable in the clothes they've been wearing. Thankfully they had enough clothes because of Monokuma, so they all took to wearing new clothes - unless you were Makoto, of course, who for some reason had more of the same hoodie in his closet. The small brunette ended up feeling like a doll as she let her friend help with creating outfits, but she did feel cute.

By the time two days passed, she and Makoto had set up their laptops' - having chosen four out of the seven they had together, in total - programming to accept their USB drives and his microchip through accessing each one simultaneously using multiple cords. It took a lot of time before they were able to use their parts of their unfinished project and attach them to two of their four chosen laptops for downloading. Now, all of those devices were hiding in many locked lockers in the bathhouse as those two slowly and steadily loaded, acting as the prototypes for their plan. All they had left to do was wait and check on the progress constantly. 

By the time two days passed, her anxiety over her Beatitude motive was beginning to fade away - not disappear, but be pushed into the back of her mind. She had been occupying herself with Hina's dance practices and programming with Makoto that the only time she had to actually worry was when she went to bed at night, but then she would be too tired and would fall asleep before she could even think too much about the matter. She never even dreamt about her sins like she thought she would, for her exhaustion caused for her to have dreamless sleeps.

With the way things were going, it seemed the calm among her and her classmates was coming back. She had no time to think about the motive, nor did she have any reason to panic over it. Her match was Makoto, and he was a kind enough person to keep her secret; what made things better was that, unlike what she expected, he didn't try to distance himself from her; he was so accepting of what she did that it seemed rather unnatural.

_I do regret it_ , she would reason with herself. _That part is obvious. He must see that and must have then figured out that I wanted nothing to do with my past. I'm so grateful I have such understanding friends here._  

And it wasn't just him whom she was referring to now. She'd think about her other friends at this point: Hina, Sakura, and now even Touko, even though the gang leader would often be busy with trying to spend as much time with Byakuya as possible, much to the latter's dismay. If they are to spend more time in isolation in Hope's Peak Academy, she would like to get to know the others better as well. On top of that, if they ever make it out of here, she would like to stay in contact with everyone (even if one of them was Byakuya). 

_... Hold on._  

Pushing herself away from her desk while sitting on her rolling chair in her room, Chihiro tiredly brushed her bangs away from her eyes as she checked the time on her now up-and-running laptop - it was currently 6:55 AM, five minutes away from the daily morning announcement. A light smile played on her lips at her own naïveté displayed in her thoughts. It was best she didn't think that way, after all.

_From what I've learned and been through, I shouldn't keep getting my hopes up. Hope is for suckers, and I don't want to be one of them as I usually am._

 

 

Accompanying her to breakfast today was neither Hina nor Sakura, for both were still getting ready in their rooms, but Celestia Ludenberg. Normally the detective tended to enter the cafeteria later on despite waking up early, however today she claimed to have been getting bored with staying in her room while she was wide awake. The two did not say anything as they walked through the halls.

Hina and Celes were matches, Chihiro had come to learn on the first day of the motive's reveal. After everyone was dismissed from the assembly and she'd left before the others, Hina and Celes confronted each other in private. They were already acquaintances with each other and therefore held no ill will, not even over Celes' secret, so they were able to keep the peace between them.

To keep count of who had knowingly made peace with each other, Celes had written a list which she shared with the others. On the margins of the notepad she wrote it down in - the notepad courtesy of the school store - were the names of the people they knew the Beatitudes of.

 

_Blessed are the poor in spirit, (____)_

_for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Leon Kuwata)_

_Blessed are those who mourn, (Celestia Ludenberg)_

_for they shall be comforted. (Aoi Asahina)_

_Blessed are the meek, (Chihiro Fujisaki)_

_for they shall inherit the earth. (Makoto Naegi)_

_Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (Mukuro Ikusaba)_

_for they shall be satisfied. (Kiyotaka Ishimaru)_

_Blessed are the merciful, (____)_

_for they shall obtain mercy. (____)_

_Blessed are the pure of heart, (Yasuhiro Hagakure)_

_for they shall see God. (____)_

_Blessed are the peacemakers, (Hifumi Yamada)_

_for they shall be called the children of God. (Sayaka Maizono)_

_Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, (Sakura Oogami)_

_for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (____)_

 

Ten people were willing to reveal their parts of one of the eight Beatitudes. Four of the Beatitudes have both sides of the verses known. Five people were left, and nothing about the leftover lines hint at who has which remaining one. 

As far as they were sure of, those last five - Byakuya Togami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Junko Enoshima, Touko Fukawa, and Mondo Oowada - were either too hostile to even say their part, or too nervous to say anything. Either way, they would have to confess sooner or later, because tonight before the "nighttime period" would be the deadline for a murder to be committed. 

"Do you believe we'll be able to make it till tonight, Celes?" Chihiro asked.

"It all depends on if they practice brinkmanship," was the reply. Red eyes remained looking forward. "Brinkmanship is the practice of pushing a dangerous scenario to its limits before stopping and is typically used in politics. We must see who will be practicing it, who will try to avoid it, and who will push it past that."

When they entered the cafeteria, they were also entering an argument. Leon, Touko, Sayaka, and Byakuya were already inside, which was strange enough as it was since these four tended to come in later. Hifumi, Taka, and Mukuro, whom the two newcomers were expecting to be there already, sat at the large table, watching the dispute. From how things seemed, the most tension was coming from Touko and Sayaka staring each other down the way they did so on the first day they came to Hope's Peak Academy. Byakuya stood behind the former while Leon was beside the latter.

"P-Put the knife down, L-Leon," Touko hissed. "Give it b-b-back to me! Or else-"

"'Or else', what?" Sayaka said, her arms folded. "You're not gonna be laying a finger on him." 

"Though she does prove to be dangerous and is an eyesore," Byakuya spoke up, "I suggest you return what is rightfully hers."

"What does it matter if I took her knife?!" Leon held up an object wrapped in white protective fabric that had a wide black handle. He clenched it tighter in his fist. "It's safer with me than it is with that psycho! Besides, why'd you want it back in _her_ possession?"

"Simple: The game would be boring if you were to die right here and now because something was stolen."

Leon was taken aback by Byakuya's reasoning, as was Chihiro. She honestly had the urge to walk over and slap him, but then that would only worsen the tension. The only thing she could do was follow Celes' lead and stand between the two opposing parties. 

Facing Sayaka and Leon, she reached out to make a grab at Touko's sheathed knife. She took the heir's wrist while looking up into his eyes.

"I understand what you're trying to do," she said slowly. "You think Touko will be dangerous if she keeps her weapons on her. However, not once has she used them. Isn't that enough reason to let her keep the one you took from her?"

"She's untrustworthy," was all he said in response, but he made no movement to get away from her. "She's unstable, and she's a gang leader, for christ's sake!" 

"Oh, but Kuwata," Celes interrupted him, "what do you have to say about Maizono carrying a survival knife? Isn't she just as 'untrustworthy'?" 

His cheeks reddened as he sputtered out an answer. "W-Well, Sayaka ain't like that! She's a soldier, so she'd only use her knife if she needed to, say, like, protect herself or somebody else!"

"I'm the same!" Touko exclaimed. Her hands were wrapped around her twin braids and she tugged at them in her frustration. "Y-You ignorant, a-artificially reddened mutt, I only have one use for t-that knife, and it's to protect my friends, a-and especially Byakuya-sama!" 

A silence filled the air after her statement that was so uncomfortable even Byakuya showed his uneasiness with a huffed exhale. In the midst of that, Chihiro had taken the knife away from Leon's loosened grip and stepped away to hand it back to her friend. Touko's eyes lit up at the sight, making her shine a slight grin of gratitude.

While the model, who was getting bored by the loss of tension in this conflict, walked off to sit at a small table by himself, Sayaka and Leon sat at the far end of the long table away from where Touko sat with Chihiro and Celes on the opposite side. Mukuro, Taka, and Hifumi were relieved to see the fight end, even if it didn't seem to be on a positive note, and returned to the kitchen to set up plates with today's breakfast, which consisted of oatmeal topped with bananas and peaches. Everyone ate quietly in hopes the uneasy atmosphere would lighten up.

To their relief - yet still to Byakuya's dismay - Hina was the one who broke the ice with her entrance and her energetic "Good morning, everybody~!", Sakura trailing not too far behind her. The former didn't seem to notice anything off the way the latter did, but brushed it off when Hina brought her her own bowl of oatmeal. Instinctively, they sat by Chihiro and Touko, across from them at the table, Hina having a little announcement.

"Chi-chan, you better be ready for a really hard workout today! That's why you gotta make sure you eat enough oats to keep your energy up!"

The brunette in question could only smile nervously, for she was sore from their performance the previous night. As fun as practicing the routines have been, and as rewarding as doing their first performance was to know their efforts paid off, constantly rehearsing has been leaving her exhausted. This was expected since she wasn't physically fit for such exercises, but she was glad she's been able to keep up with her friend without feeling too winded in the end.

Glancing at Touko, who was staring down at her oatmeal, she tried to strike up a conversation with her. "Do you want to watch us? Or maybe you can even practice with us like last night."

"Yeah, the more, the merrier!"

"M-M-Maybe..."

She lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "Are you still upset about the fight?"

Hina then raised her head while still eating a large mouthful of oatmeal. "A fi-" She hurried to swallow her mouthful. "A fight? What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

According to Touko, she decided this morning to come in early to help with breakfast, her way of trying to establish trust with the others. Hifumi had gone off to see if anyone else was awake in hopes of having another "Hope's Peak Academy Regular Report" meeting, which was why Sayaka and Leon were out of their rooms earlier than usual, and why Chihiro and Celes came to have walked the halls together not long ago. Touko had removed her burgundy leather jacket - for she always wore it no matter what she wore underneath to display her loyalty to the Wild Lillies - so it wouldn't get ripped while she was put to work cutting fruits. Once breakfast was completed, she came back out of the kitchen to find her knife that was kept inside her jacket missing, only to find it in Leon's possession. 

Byakuya got into the argument when he unexpectedly took her side in it after his reluctant arrival due to Hifumi's persistence. He was for having the knife given back to her, though as it was revealed, the reason behind this was so he could keep treating their situation as a "game". Sayaka joined Leon's side considering the closeness the two seemed to have, as well as her obvious distrust in the other girl, meaning she was there for his protection against her.

"Well, even though Leon's actions feel like they've been justified, I'm on your side, Touko-chan!" Hina reached across the table to grab Touko's hands, to her surprise. "You've been a great friend to us these past couple days, so I believe in trusting you. From what you told me, I believe that you were telling the truth when you declared your reason for keeping your knife."

Sakura spoke up after her. "My family has taught me to never rely on violence as a solution. You may have a background centering around that, but you still have the heart of both a young woman and a warrior." She grinned. "It's been an honor to have you in our group."

Chihiro was warmed by the scene playing before her eyes. Ever since Touko opened up enough to join them and turn their trio into a quartet, albeit still the quietest of them, she actively participated in their activities. She revealed her likeness towards reading, having memorized the entirety of Sakura's book within a few hours of spending time together. Whenever Hina and Chihiro practiced dancing routines, she and Sakura acted as the audience, but last night she was willing to actually try some moves herself.

  
_It's only been six days, but it feels like our group's known each other for so long_ , she mused. Her mind flashed back to the night she consulted Sakura's for the first time. That time, she felt this way, too. None of this felt like a coincidence to her. 

"Oi, oi, Chi-chan!" 

She blinked and found that her three friends were looking her way. "Ah, yes?"

Hina had a playful smirk on her face, one reminding her of that of a Cheshire kitten. "Your _boyfriend's_ here~!"

"'Boyfriend'?" Turning around, she saw Makoto entering the cafeteria with the rest of the students who hadn't arrived earlier. She turned back around with now bright red cheeks as she answered them in a hushed yell. "He is _not_ my boyfriend! We just met on the day we got here!" 

"Sakura's cards told you that you'd be building 'new relationships', though. The Ace of Cups, remember?"

"I'm sure it meant _friendships_ , just like with you guys."

"You never know~"

" _Never know what?_ "

All four girls hadn't realized Makoto had made it to their side of the table until he spoke up, currently standing behind Chihiro's seat. They were quick to deny the idea of him knowing what was going on, much to the idol's hesitance, and let him go off to grab breakfast for himself. Chihiro, meanwhile, was glad he chose to sat on the other side of Touko, because then he wouldn't be able to see her incredibly flushed cheeks.

 

 

_Would it be an overstatement to believe that my body is dead?_ Chihiro asked herself. Now in the confines of her dorm, having been working out since an hour after breakfast, she was finally able to get her much deserved break at one in the afternoon. _I still can't believe I managed over five hours of such strenuous work._

It took her a fraction of her leftover energy to peel off her black capris skirt and red shirt which she sported just for the workout. She hurried to kick off the pair of running shoes she discovered in her closet, followed by her socks. It wasn't long before she found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror outside the bathroom.

Her shoulders have always a little broader than what she wanted. Although she never had anything to hide to begin with, she still insisted on wearing a sports bra as long as she added some thin padding. Her hips used to have a squarer form before she started eating certain foods to gain the curves she desired. The bloomers she wore as her undergarments ensured her that there was nothing to worry about.

Before she entered this school, her parents promised her she would be able to request for estrogen prescriptions. For now, she wanted to simply strengthen her body until that day comes - if she ever makes it out of here with the others, of course. She had to admit that Hina's workouts were a big help to her on that part. 

Tearing her gaze away from the mirror, she entered the lit-up bathroom and turned on the shower. She hurried to shed the last pieces of her clothing with the rest of her outfit and placed them in the laundry basket before she turned to step past the glass door. Warm water welcomed her presence, soothing the soreness in her body as she washed herself off.

A sigh left her lips. This was bliss.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stay in there for long. Considering how tired her body was, it was best for her to take a short nap until dinnertime. Makoto would surely understand why she wouldn't be joining him for their usual meetings in the bathhouse. 

_Makoto..._  

The programmer's name echoed like a whisper in her head as she switched the water off, wrapping a towel around her body with a hand holding the ends together by her chest and using another to cover her wet hair. He had joined Sakura today in watching her practice with Hina and, to her delight, Touko. Maybe it was the fact that she was being watched, but she felt like she had worked much harder than usual when doing a full rehearsal of their new dance number today. Shaking her head in denial, she quickly dried herself off and exited the bathroom. 

She only dropped her larger towel onto the floor once she was dressed in new undergarments and the light green nightgown she had been wearing for the past couple nights, then the smaller one when she was sure she did all she could to dry her hair as much as possible. At this point, she was too tired to pick them up, so she went straight to her bed. Just when she was about ready to sleep as soon as she would have hit the mattress, however, her doorbell rang. Talk about bad timing.

Junko was on the other side of the door once she'd managed to force herself to walk towards it and open it. "Hey, Chi!" she chirped, a wide grin on her face. She eyed the smaller girl. "Man, you look pretty cute in those pajamas! Not something I'd really pull off, but it definitely suits you."

Chihiro smiled. "Why, thank you." Clearing her throat, she then asked, "So, what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be with your sister?" 

"Yeah, soon, but she's busy cooking tonight's dinner with a couple guys." From behind her back, the gambler revealed a laundry basket filled almost entirely with clothes. "It's been getting a little boring so I thought I'd contribute - y'know, help everyone out and stuff. Since we've been using the clothes provided for us, I thought it'd be fine to do the girls' laundry. You wouldn't mind me taking some of your stuff off your hands, right? It's not like I'm asking for your bras and panties."

At first she stared at the basket. Junko was only trying to be nice, after all, and she was sure she could trust her with her laundry. A simple nod was all it took to keep Junko beaming as she stepped away from the door. She hurried to grab the dresses and workout clothes she had been wearing for the past couple days, then made her way back to the doorway to drop them into the basket.

"This is such a big help, Junko! Thank you so much!"

"No problem, Chi! Oh, and before you go, hear me out on something." Junko crouched down slightly until her lips were close to Chihiro's ear. "You missed what happened after you finished your dance practice and left. I heard about that argument that happened this morning, so it seemed Leon was still pissed about it. Heck, he even 'accidentally' spilled water on Byakuya for taking Touko's side!"

Her eyes widened. She had a feeling at least Leon would still be bitter over this morning, but she didn't figure he would do something like that. 

"That's horrible!" she whispered. 

"I know, right?!" Junko agreed. "Such a dick move!" Pulling away and straightening her form, she prepared to leave. "Well, that's all, since I thought you'd want to know. I'll see ya at dinner, 'kay?"

"Alright!"

Once Junko was gone, the door was again closed and locked. Chihiro returned to her bed, still intrigued by the news of what happened to Byakuya and the fact it was Junko who told her this. The two girls were fairly acquainted with each other but spent time with different people. Lying on the bed, she thought about the last time they held a brief conversation like that.

_I think it was when Celes and I were creating the list of the Beatitudes and which people owned which line. Junko had come up to ask us for ours, but then ran off before we could ask for hers._ She hummed. _Yes, that sounds about right._

Closing her eyes, she began to drift off to sleep. She wondered if another dreamless sleep awaited her considering all of her past sleeps haven't brought her any dreams ever since she arrived at this school. Was her mind protecting her from something within her unknown dreams, or perhaps she was tiring herself out so much lately that she could barely think while on the verge of reaching unconsciousness? Those were the last things on her mind before her exhaustion finally clouded her senses and took over her.

 

 

Yet another dreamless sleep.

"Something's going on with me," Chihiro muttered, rubbing her eyes in the midst of her walk. "The last time I had any sort of dream was before I came here." 

After her nap, she had read her clock and learned that it was by then 6:50 PM, ten minutes before all of the students were scheduled to come into the cafeteria for dinner together. Realizing she was running late, she only had time to slip on a more laid-back outfit - a gray hoodie with a black t-shirt underneath in case she got hot, black leggings, and black sneakers. Pretty soon she was out of her room and on her way to the cafeteria, her next thoughts in mind being on what dinner was going to be this time. 

It seemed as though luck was on her side, for she had arrived right on time. She was greeted by her trio of girl friends as well as Hifumi praising her for her punctuality, to which she'd rather not mention to have barely maintained. Makoto welcomed her to sit beside him at his spot across the girls. Considering what was going to happen tonight, she was surprised to see her friends acting the same as ever - Makoto with his bright smile, Hina with her energetic attitude, Sakura with her peaceful aura, and Touko, well, just being herself with her nervous yet slowly progressing friendliness.

She hoped dearly that the girls and everybody else would still accept her the way Makoto did once they find out what her Beatitude secret was about. No matter what, she only wished to be friends with all of them (even if that included Byakuya).

"Oh dear, it appears we are missing someone from our party!" Hifumi announced. "We shall not be having any stew until Junko-dono arrives!" 

Sayaka raised her voice so she could be heard. "The last time I saw Junko was on my way here, almost an hour ago. She wanted a quick snack to tie her over till dinner while she was busy taking care of some of the girls' laundry in the laundry room."

Mukuro nodded in agreement. "I was with both of them during that time, since I was taking a break from helping with dinner. Based on my memory, my sister has a tendency to do the hangable clothes first, followed by the ones that can be placed in the drier, so it causes her to do a slower job."

"Tch!" From where he sat, Byakuya folded his arms and let out a soft groan. "How inconvenient for the rest of us. Someone must go fetch her if she is what's keeping us from eating." He looked down the table at the large pot at the other end where Hifumi stood behind it. "A freshly cooked meal is better than anything 'instant', anyways."

The ones to volunteer were Chihiro and, surprisingly, Mondo, who only claimed to be going so he could get some distance from Byakuya and "his damn annoying ego". She followed not too far behind the author on their way out of the cafeteria to make sure Junko came back so they could start dinner. Their destination wasn't too far from where they started out, fortunately, a mere few hundred meters away at most. Mondo was the first to peek into the room, where for some reason no machines could be heard running. Was their acquaintance currently folding the clothes?

"Yo, Junko!" Mondo called out when he poked his head in from behind the closed door. "Time for-" Chihiro blinked at his sudden pause until he spoke again, this time directed towards her. "Hey, Chi?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Yes?"

Her eyes darted to one of his hands, which clenched down on the doorframe. From the way it creaked lightly, she feared it could break any minute now while under his mysteriously destructive hold.

"Did you ever think, at least once, that our entire stay here's been a dream? 'Cause the thing is, if so, I'd really like to fucking wake up right now."

"Mondo...?" To figure out what he was talking about, she carefully opened the door wider so she would be able to look in and see.

Only a gasp escaped her lips at the gruesome display before her eyes. The entire room was left in disarray - laundry on the floor with small puddles of water around them, clotheslines snapped and left to dangle along the walls and on the tiles, a splattered pool of blood extremely visible at the end of the room where the sinks and cabinets were. She no longer thought about dinner for this sight has spoiled her appetite. Matter of fact, her head had begun to spin to the point she felt ready to keel over and vomit out whatever snacks she ate this afternoon before her nap.

However, she managed to keep the contents of her stomach inside no matter the number of somersaults it made. She wasn't aware of how much time had passed since Mondo left to tell the others and when everyone started making their way to where she was frozen in place, leaning against the doorframe for support. She didn't bother looking around to see who gasped or cursed or simply said nothing. The moment she finally snapped out of her trauma-induced trance was when a chime and an announcement from Monokuma resonated throughout the corridor.

" _Ding dong, dang dong! A body has been found! After a set period of free time, we will commence the Class Trial!_ "

That alone was enough to tell her, Mondo, and everybody else that this was certainly no dream. The state of the room was real, the blood was real, and the fresh-looking corpse of the former SHSL Gambler Junko Enoshima was the realest piece of evidence right before their eyes. And, in the midst of their state of trying to overcome their disbelief, they were presented with more evidence in the form of Mukuro Ikusaba, Junko's older twin sister, pushing her way to the front before falling to her knees.

"Which one of you did it?!" she snapped, wrapping her arms around herself. "There's only one explanation for this and it's that one of you did this! So..." She inhaled sharply. "WHICH ONE OF YOU MURDERED MY SISTER?!" No way was it possible for those tears and cries of anguish which followed to not be genuine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all saw the first murder coming, guys, even if maybe some of you weren't expecting for specific people to die. However, this means we can get to the fun part, and I'm not talking about the MakoChi!
> 
> Some time during the formation of the fourth chapter, I began writing out the scripts for all of the Class Trials which will lead up to the final boss. The first script will help me with writing out the upcoming chapters, which will be split into three or four parts, depending on how long the Investigation period is.
> 
> If anyone has a guess right now as to who the murderer may be, though, feel free to let me know! You can also find evidence hidden throughout this chapter if you look hard enough~


	9. Breaking the Calm (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Eight of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> Everything felt so unreal at that moment, but none of this was a dream, as much as they wished to believe it. There was no waking up, no peaceful reality awaiting them, for what they were facing now _was_ reality.
> 
> Chihiro must accept that, and quickly. She needed to get to the bottom of this. It's time for the **Investigation Period**!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spring break will be over starting next Monday, so I wanted to get in this one last update before the end of it. Please enjoy!
> 
> Now, I wonder if YOU GUYS can solve the murder! Upupupupu...!

It wasn't fair.

None of this was fair at all.

So close... They were so close... Everyone was so close to beating Monokuma at his own game, even if the consequence was for eight students' secrets to be disclosed. Had they maintained the calm amongst themselves for a while longer, they would've proven to him that they weren't simply pawns in this fiendish scenario.

But now, someone's done it. At first they wanted to accuse the headmaster for Junko Enoshima's death, but they came to the conclusion that he wouldn't want to spoil whatever fun he was gaining from this. Only one of the fifteen remaining students was responsible. 

Distrust spread through the group like wildfire - starting small before infecting everyone. Starting with Mukuro before the others followed suit. The fighter had never shown this much emotion in front of them the entire time they were here, but that was then and this was now. They watched her walls break down to the point small puddles of tears formed at her knees and her throat was becoming sore for crying her grief out.

Her emotions were strong enough to send a couple other students into such an apparent, depressive state. Namely, these people were Hina, Mondo, Makoto, and Chihiro. Hina was bawling her eyes out while Makoto was fighting back his tears. Tears were welling up in Mondo's eyes, having been the one to have discovered the corpse in the first place, though he never let them fall nor did he try wiping them away.

As for Chihiro, she wasn't even aware that she was crying. For whoever knows however long they were all standing there speechless, she remained leaning against the doorframe with tears unknowingly streaming down her cheeks. She was too horrified by the scene to ever notice what was happening to herself.

"Everyone, I suggest you all step away from the crime scene if you find yourself unable to cooperate in this investigation," Celes spoke up, causing the others to break out of their moment of shock and stare at her. She calmly walked past them to make her way to the front. Along the way, she removed her jacket and handed it to Hifumi before putting on a pair of black gloves which she took out from her jacket's pocket. "If no one's noticed yet, please check your ElectroIDs. It appears Monokuma has provided us with new information."

Upon her suggestion, everyone pulled out their ElectroIDs to find that she was right. Three new school rules were added less than a minute ago.

 

_6\. Were a murder to occur, a body discovery announcement will be projected through the intercom once three students discover the body._

_7\. After a murder takes place, a set period of free time will be distributed for the other students to investigate the murder. Any and all evidence gathered can be kept in check with either the ElectroIDs' camera function or by bringing it to the Class Trial._

_8\. Once the students reach a conclusion, they are allowed to vote for whom they believe was the "blackened" student behind the murder. If they are correct, the "blackened" faces punishment via **execution**. If the majority vote is incorrect, the "blackened" is allowed to graduate while the other students face punishment instead. _

 

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the new rules provided. "So, Monokuma expects us to go through a whodunnit. We will even be acting as investigators as well as our own judges and jury. I'm sure Celestia knows what to do, then." She walked forward and stood beside the detective, facing the others. "I volunteer to be of assistance."

"Wait, are we just going to ignore what the eighth rule said?!" Taka exclaimed. "M-Monokuma surely wouldn't bluff about the culprit getting _executed_ , or about the rest of us _other_ than the culprit going through such a fate!"

"Are you doubting my skills as a detective, Ishimaru?" Celes wondered aloud. "Quite an offensive thing to say when I know I will be doing my best to contribute to this investigation."

Taken aback, Taka shook his head. "N-No, of course not, C-Celes-chan!" He stared down at his ElectroID in his hand. "I'm just worried, is all." 

She sighed. "Nonsense, I can be trusted with this task. I will be treating it like all of my other investigations in the past, after all.... But of course, I'm grateful for Kirigiri's assistance, and I believe I should take one more person for a direct examination of the crime scene." With a hum, she looked among the crowd before pointing at her chosen student. "I'll take you, _Fujisaki_."

Chihiro's eyes widened at the declaration. Her body tensed up with nervousness. "M-Me, Celes?" she questioned. "Are you sure?"

"I agree," Byakuya stated, fixing his glasses. "What makes you so sure Chihiro Fujisaki will be of use to you in the investigation?" She flinched at the darkened glance directed her way.

Remaining collected as ever, Celes explained her reason for sudden and strange choice. "Fujisaki has an _alibi_ , in which she was known to be taking a nap up until before her arrival at the cafeteria. This can be proven by Asahina, Oogami, Fukawa, and Enoshima, the victim herself. I was entering the cafeteria not long before Enoshima left to finish the laundry, and she'd spoken out loud to Ikusaba and Maizono about a couple dresses Fujisaki left in her care. Given the circumstances of what everyone was doing before dinner and when they arrived, I'm confident that she can be trusted with evidence I relay to her and Kirigiri, who possesses a trustworthy alibi as well.

"More importantly, if any of you do not know, Fujisaki has a history of programming which is similar to Naegi, though she has yet to be recognized publicly for such talents." There were a couple gasps in surprise over this revelation, causing Chihiro's cheeks to light up. "During one of my past investigations, I looked into numerous software companies and discovered her profile, learning that she has a part-time career as one of the company she works for's elite programmers and is especially needed in error analysis. By allowing her to assist me, it is possible for her to discover evidence that might not be seen by scanning the crime scene alone."

_She knew about me?_ The small brunette wiped her sweaty palms against her leggings. _So before, when she had me explain my past to Makoto on the second day, was only for his sake?_ Everything must truly be an investigation in that detective's mind.

The two's eyes met, Celes' red pair displaying expectations for her. If she took so much time explaining her choice to them, then she really must need her cooperation. She did want to be of help to her friends anyways, and she did want to ease Mukuro's pain at least a little bit by discovering the person behind this murder.

A simple nod was all she needed to do in order for Celes to understand her acceptance and move on with their planning. "Very well. While Fujisaki, Kirigiri, and I investigate the crime scene, I will entrust everyone else with the task of searching for clues around the school. Naegi," she turned to the boy in question, "I'm giving you the task of collecting alibis. Keep a list of all of the students' whereabouts before, after, and at the time of the murder." She gave them a slight, mischievous grin, the sign that she was within her element. "Dismissed!" 

**_Begin Investigation Period!_ **

 

 

Once all the students had separated, Monokuma provided even more useful information in what was labelled as the Monokuma File. Upon opening it, the file gave a brief explanation of the murder which took place. 

 

_**Victim's Name:** Junko Enoshima_

_**Victim's Title:** Super High School-Level Gambler_

_**Setting of Death:** First Floor Laundry Room, Approx. Half an hour prior to 7:00 PM_

**_Setting of Discovery:_** _First Floor Laundry Room, Approx. Five minutes after 7:00 PM_

_**Details of Death:** Junko Enoshima suffered two significant wounds - a stab wound to the abdomen, and a cervical fracture. Both have been recorded to have occurred almost simultaneously. _

_**Other Notes:** Enoshima possesses a slash wound on her left forearm and her right wrist has been broken. These injuries have been confirmed to have been caused by a struggle. _

_  
_

"The file won't state the exact cause of death," Kyoko pointed out. "Monokuma must be challenging us to see if we're capable of pulling this off."

"And we will," Celes assured her. She turned to Chihiro. "Fujisaki, please feel free to examine this room on your own."

"Right."

With a deep breath, Chihiro focused on the task at hand. She needed to collect as much evidence as possible if they're going to get to the bottom of this investigation. It was best she started with the room in general. According to the file, Junko was caught in a struggle before her death, and the state of the room obviously proved it. 

**Evidence - State of Laundry Room**

Next she examined the different parts of the room. Remembering what Mukuro told about Junko's habits when doing laundry, she checked the machines. There weren't any clothes in the dryer, much to her confusion, but then she looked down. She spotted the foldable clothes from the small pile she had given Junko earlier in the afternoon scattered with other girls' laundry on the floor. Water surrounded the pile which explained the squishing sounds she heard.

Odd - washing machines are programmed to drain all the water after a cycle is completed. Why would all of this water be here? Was the cycle abruptly stopped halfway through?

**Evidence - Wet Laundry**

_Maybe there's something in the laundry?_ she thought. After crouching down and carefully looking through everything, though, she came up fruitless.

"Chihiro." Standing up and turning around, she found herself facing Kyoko. "I believe you'll find something useful out of this, which was found by the body." Her gloved hand passed onto her what looked to be a very thin strip of purple fabric. "Unlike the other clothes, this was dry, so it most likely came from the ones on the clotheslines."

"I've seen this fabric and color before," she muttered in reply. Realization struck her soon after. "Oh! This is from Sakura's cardigan from the first couple days!" She stared down at the belt in confusion. "What was it doing by Junko, though? There's no way the belt could've fallen out after falling to the ground during the struggle." 

"Could have this been the intended weapon for murdering her? Strangling her with this would have made the job less messy, but of course the state of the room tells us drastic measures were taken."

"Perhaps. We can assume that for now until we find more clues."

"I agree with you."

**Evidence - Sakura's Cardigan Belt**

"There's something else I want to discuss with you and Celestia." 

"Hm, I heard my name?" Celes walked towards them after examining the body. "I suppose we should let each other know about our discoveries. What is it, Kirigiri?"

The swimmer folded her arms. "Mukuro told me something before she took off. Growing up homeless, she and Junko only had each other to rely on before they used their discovered talents to help themselves leave their old lives. She didn't have a trainer in the beginning of her fighting career, so Junko spent her free time at the school they attended studying basic martial arts books in the library, and she used that knowledge to help her sister practice. Even after hiring a trainer, those two never stopped sparring together." Kyoko tilted her head. "It's no wonder there was a struggle in here."

Brushing away some stray bangs from her face, she continued. "Using this information, it'll be easier to figure out who the culprit is. It's obviously someone who won't have an accurate alibi but is also strong enough to take Junko on given her training." She held up her hand and showed all five fingers. "The strongest within the school other than her have to be Mukuro, Sayaka, Touko, Hiro, and Mondo, but it's obvious Mukuro wouldn't dare murder her own sister." 

"Let's add Byakuya to the top five suspects, then," Celes said. "I don't pay attention to his police reports of crazed stalkers that very often, but more than once has he been heard to have defended himself when things went out of hand. That means he must have some basic training, even if it's not as well-tuned as Junko's has been."

**Evidence - Mukuro's Story**

**Evidence - Top Five Possible Culprits**  

"Fujisaki, have you found anything?"

"I have, yes!"

Nodding her head, Chihiro proceeded to explain what she discovered as well as what Kyoko had brought to her attention not too long ago. She made sure no details were left out and that her own opinions on the matter were included.

Celes hummed. "Excellent work. Kirigiri, please continue your search. I must show Fujisaki something which I will show you as well afterwards." 

"Understood."

She was led towards the body, which she was viewing up close for the first time. Her eyes softened at the sight of Junko's corpse, which was leaning limply against the cabinet below the large sink with its multiple faucets, her chin tilted in an upwards angle. The green and white-striped dress she had been wearing today was ruined by her blood. One of the lacy green and white bows was loosened in her pigtails, most likely from the struggle. It dawned upon her that the gambler was always seen wearing multiple versions of a green and white color scheme in her ensembles and she always wore those bows in her hair. The thought made her smile; it looked like she had been herself until the very end. 

She crouched down and reached into the strawberry blonde locks, carefully removing the bows until her hair dropped, cascading in front of her shoulders, and placed the bows in her sweatshirt pocket. Then she lowered one hand to hover over her face and close her half-lidded eyes. No way would Monokuma keep this room like this once they were finished, meaning he would have to get rid of the body in order to clean this place up later. Mukuro would surely love to have a keepsake as a way of coping with her sister's death.

Now that she got that out of the way, she needed to continue with the investigation. She may as well take advantage of how close she was to Junko's body. Upon closer examination, she made out the fracture in the nape which caused her neck to snap and where it caused the bones in her neck bone to stick out in the front. The sight was unsettling, but she needed to keep looking. 

"Pay close attention to the lower wounds," Celes told her from her spot behind her, making her jump; she had almost forgotten she was even there. "I took notice of something that you will surely find intriguing."

Hazel eyes darted downwards. Like the Monokuma File stated, Junko did have a slash wound on her left forearm, and her right wrist was indeed broken with a red mark over where it broke. Chihiro glanced at the area ahead of the body. She blinked at the sight of the light trails of blood leading up to where Junko now lay. There were a few drops on the left side that most likely came from her arm. Down the middle, before the large bloody puddle, were similar drops surrounding multiple streaks, and in front of those was a smaller puddle of blood. It appeared the struggle led to the victim being pushed back after being stabbed, resulting in pushed against the sink.

_Then it's most likely that the stab was used to distract her_ , she realized. Of course, that made so much sense now: The initial attack was a stab wound, but then the culprit pushed her in order to keep her from fighting back, and then they ended up snapping her neck against the sink for the final blow. _But then, what happened before? How did it lead up to her death?_

**Evidence - State of Victim's Body**

**Evidence - Trail of Blood**

Lastly, to finish off the examination, she turned to the direct abdominal wound. The blade that was used for the attack was still lodged deep in the stomach. She leaned over and grabbed ahold of the black handle; she only went into the kitchen a couple times, but she would know if the knife came from the kitchen if she saw the blade. She wriggled it slowly, steadily, ignoring the light squishing sounds she heard which were caused by the movements, until finally she managed to take it out. All that was left now was to study the weapon directly.

To her surprise, the blade was barely a blade at all. It was very thin, thinner than her own fingers, and the sides weren't as sharp as she expected. She poked at the tip lightly to find that this part was extremely sharp that she nearly pricked her finger - she still got blood on her hand simply from touching the blade, to her dismay. At least the tip proved that injuring others was possible with this, but this meant someone strong had to be able to thrust this deep into her stomach.

What caught her eye even more was...

_For what reason would the handle be so wide?_

Just as her thoughts played out, the black handle truly was unusually wide, enough that she couldn't curl her entire fist around it. The state of the weapon in general confused her greatly, so she continued staring at her. She ran her palm against the handle and around it in hopes of finding something that would explained why the weapon was made this way.

"You should try checking the bottom," Celes suggested.

"Okay... Huh?" She was surprised by the sight of a small turnover latch at the flat bottom of the handle when she held the weapon by its blade. "What's this here for...?"

**Evidence - Weapon**

Celes placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to stand back up. "Keep this a secret for now, okay? I have a feeling this is going to be incredibly useful for the Class Trial. I already took a look, so I'll inform Kirigiri. Have a look at this somewhere private before our time is up."

She stared up at the detective before giving her an unsteady nod. "Sure, I can do that." It suddenly came to mind how sticky her hands were from touching the weapon still in her possession. "May I use the bathroom to clean myself up? After that, I can try to meet up with Makoto and learn about what alibis he recorded."

"Go ahead." That was all she needed to hear before she was out of the laundry room and in the fortunately empty hallways.

 

 

Tainted water rushed down the drain of the sink in the girl's bathrooms as the faucet kept running. The blade, finally rid of the blood, laid beside the sink to dry. Its handle remained intact, though the latch remained loosened. Now clean hands propped Chihiro up against the counter while she stared down at the weapon with shock written all over her face.

What did she just see after cleaning the weapon and unhinging the latch at the bottom of the handle? This would throw this investigation into a new light once the time comes, but what she saw still didn't give her a hint as to who the culprit behind the murder could be. She would need to search for more evidence soon if she wanted to get to the bottom of this.

She turned off the faucet and dried off the weapon. Placing it inside her inner jacket pocket, she exited the bathroom. There was still more evidence she needed to collect in the form of Makoto's list of alibis.

"Hey! Chihiro!" Well, speak of the devil. It was just her luck that the brunet programmer was making his way towards her with his ElectroID in his hand. It wasn't long until he was standing in front of her. "How's your search going?"

"I found a lot of evidence at the crime scene," she informed him. "Actually, I was planning on seeing you about those alibis."

He grinned. "What a coincidence." He held out his ElectroID for her to take. The screen shown had a list. "Go ahead and read them off yourself."

 

_**Chihiro Fujisaki:** Napping before murder; entered cafeteria around 7 PM_

_**Celestia Ludenberg:** Entered cafeteria around 6:10 PM_

_**Kyoko Kirigiri:** Entered cafeteria around 6:25 PM_

_**Aoi Asahina:** Entered cafeteria around 6:20 PM w/ Sakura_

_**Sakura Oogami:** Entered cafeteria around 6:20 PM w/ Hina_

_**Touko Fukawa:** Entered cafeteria around 6:50 PM_

_**Mukuro Ikusaba:** Cooking with Taka and Hifumi since 4 PM; last saw Junko around 6:10 PM_

_**Hifumi Yamada:** Cooking with Taka and Mukuro since 4 PM_

_**Kiyotaka Ishimaru:** Cooking with Mukuro and Hifumi since 4 PM_

_**Mondo Oowada:** Entered cafeteria around 6:20 PM after Hina and Sakura_

_**Leon Kuwata:** Entered cafeteria around 6:30 PM w/ Hiro_

_**Sayaka Maizono:** Entered cafeteria at 6 PM_

_**Yasuhiro Hagakure:** Entered cafeteria around 6:30 PM w/ Leon_

_**Byakuya Togami:** Entered cafeteria around 6:45 PM_

_**Makoto Naegi:** Entered cafeteria around 6:35 PM_

 

Chihiro hummed at the new information. This definitely narrowed out the list of possible suspects. She was grateful for Makoto being thorough with the task he was given.

**Evidence - Alibis**

"You were such a big help by doing this, Makoto," she told him with a smile. "Thanks for helping out."

"It was nothing!" he assured her, chuckling softly. But then, the brightness in his smile was gone, replaced with sadness. "After all, I want to do what I can if it means bringing the one who killed Junko to light." He leaned against the wall beside him. "It's still hard to believe someone would kill another person. There has to be a reason as to why this murder took place."

"Monokuma was going to try anything to get us to kill each other; I think we all knew that, even if the idea didn't cross some of our minds consciously." She sighed. "Celes is expecting mine and Kyoko's help in leading the trial to find the one who killed Junko. I'm pretty nervous already knowing one of us is dead. Now we have to figure out who was willing enough to kill her so we can send them towards execution? Mondo's right, it would be much better if this was all a dream so we can wake up."

She was taken surprise by Makoto shifting to lean his back against the wall, then by him reaching out to take her hand. His hand alone was soft and warm, holding her own with such care as if it were fragile. With another tired sigh, she let herself be led towards the wall so she was leaning against the wall next to him. Their hands disconnected before his arm wrapped around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this," he said. "I have faith in you, that you'll blow this case wide open so we can find out why all of this happened. You'll be fine."

Her entire body relaxed at that point. The stress from the investigation melted away, though not completely. The fact she needed to help unravel the secrets behind a murder never left her mind. But she was grateful for the programmer, her partner, for trying to make her feel better. She needed this brief moment to calm down so she wasn't filled to the brim with worry, to the point of bursting.

_I'm starting to continuously feel comfortable when he and I are so close, holding onto each other.... Why is that?_

Just then, the intercom could be heard switching on. A chime resounded just like it did so earlier before Monokuma's voice soon echoed all over the first floor, for all of the students to hear.

" _Eh... I'm getting sick of waiting for you bastards, so let's cut to the chase. Ahem! All students are required to make their way towards the red door on the first floor in the school area, located down the hall left of the AV room. Then, we shall commence the highly anticipated Class Trial!_ "

Chihiro grimaced at the announcement once it was over. Of course she would be reminded of their priorities right when she was about to give herself a short break. She really did want to be held some more...

_N-No!_ Her cheeks flushed as she pulled away from Makoto's hold so she could walk towards their new destination, the boy following not too far behind. _I can't lose track of my responsibilities right now, not when I'm supposed to help lead the trial in the right directions. Save those thoughts for later!_

That's right, she had a job to do and she would be coming in handy for the fast-approaching trial. Celes, Kyoko, and the rest of the students would be counting on her greatly. This was more than just finding out who killed Junko. Junko deserves justice for what happened to her. Her twin sister, Mukuro, would demand for that justice, and would not be satisfied until it was brought, because only then would her own grievances be put at ease.

By the time the two brunets arrived at the red door Monokuma mentioned, everybody else was already preparing to file through since the door had opened, revealing an elevator inside. That must mean there's a special room in this school just for this sort of scenario, as much as they were trying to avoid it. It didn't settle well within Chihiro, but she would have to stomach her own worries and focus on everyone else's.

"Mukuro," she called out quietly once everyone was inside. The fighter, who was only standing in front of her, turned around to face her. She could tell by the decreasing puffiness around her icy blue eyes that she was able to stop crying not too long ago once she was alone. "I have something for you that I thought you should have. Hold out your hand, please."

The latter girl did so while the door shut and they could feel the elevator carrying them lower. Chihiro hurried to take Junko's bows from earlier out of her sweatshirt pocket to show them. She placed them in the awaiting palm before her, watching Mukuro slowly clench at them in a slightly tightened fist, obviously to keep herself from breaking the bows in her grip. A glint of hope seemed to spark in her eyes, which in turn made her glad she took those bows in the first place. She only had to nod with a reassuring smile when a mouthed "Thank you" was given.

Nobody spoke as the elevator continued with its descent. One of the remaining fifteen students killed Junko, and the distrust was back to spreading among them. Still, it was up to them to figure out who exactly committed the crime and what events took place which led up to it. Like how Taka mentioned it before the investigation, the rules did state that if they accused the wrong person of being guilty, then everyone except the culprit would be punished-

_Executed_ , she reminded herself. She didn't like the word because cracking the case would then mean the others would be responsible for killing the guilty one as a response to them killing somebody else. If they turned up wrong, however, then she and the others innocent of the crime would have to die. Monokuma had set this system up as a battle between the hope of staying alive and seeking justice for a student's death and the despair caused by not wanting to get caught even at the risk of everyone else. He wants everyone to fight for their lives, whether it be for others or simply for their own.

So, fight, they shall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Class Trial will be beginning next chapter, so get ready for the debate over who killed Junko Enoshima! Who could it possibly be?!


	10. Breaking the Calm (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Nine of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> The Class Trial has begun! If they want to survive, the fifteen students must figure out who committed the murder. What will Chihiro do in order to save herself and her classmates, as well as shine light upon the case?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished this a long time ago, but forgot to post it... Oops...
> 
>  
> 
> **IMPORTANT NOTES:**
> 
>  
> 
> Since I first wrote out this trial as a script, the trial will be treated as how it was created for the anime, I guess you can say. This trial will also be divided into three parts since it's long.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

"Welcome to the courtroom!" Once the elevator doors opened, Monokuma was already there to greet the fifteen students as they stepped into this newly discovered room far below the school. 

The room itself was circular with green and white-checkered walls and closed white curtains with green carpets leading from them to the center of the room. Sixteen wooden podiums stood together in a circle in that center while a high red throne was located feet away from them. On one of those podiums stood a single pole with a photo of Junko Enoshima's face on the front, in which she was not smiling in the photo and there was an 'X' drawn over it.

"Hey, what's the meaning of that?" Mukuro spoke up, pointing at the picture of her sister.

"Upupu - just 'cause she ain't kicking no more, doesn't mean she gets to be absent from the trial!" the monochromic bear responded. "Now, everyone's got an assigned podium, so get to there quick so we can begin the debate!"

Doing as they were told, they hurried to find their names labelled on the outward curve of each podium and stood there, waiting for what was to happen next. They watched Monokuma climb up the stairs to what must be his throne before he sat down and looked over everyone. He held up a gavel in his paw.

"Alrighty, let's get this show on the road! The first victim of the game is the SHSL Gambler Junko Enoshima. One of you bastards did her in, so you gotta use what you found during yer investigation to discovered the 'blackened' student. Upupupu... Let the highly-anticipated Class Trial begin!"

_This is it_ , Chihiro told herself from where she stood between Hiro and, unfortunately, Byakuya, but she had not the time to worry over that right now. _We can't let our efforts be in vain... and we won't!_

She looked around the room and at each of the other students until she found herself locking eyes with Makoto, who stood far from her between Hifumi and Sayaka. He shined a reassuring smile her way that made her sigh and relax. Their lives were on the line, and she needed to stay calm and focus on this trial.

_I won't give in!_

 

**_The Class Trial is now in session!_ **

**_  
_ **

**_Class Trial #1_ **

**_Victim: Junko Enoshima_ **

**_  
_ **

**_Loading Verbal Bullets x3_ **

**_Verbal Bullets x3 loaded_ **

**_Verbal Bullet x1 set_ **

**_  
_ **

**_Begin Class Trial!_ **

 

"I'll be honest guys," Leon said, "I'm not as good at debating as I am at negotiating."

Hina nodded with a nervous smile. "Yeah, same here..."

Makoto shrugged. "I'm okay at it, I guess."

"Where should we start, then?" Hifumi wondered aloud.

"Perhaps we should start with the weapon," Sakura suggested, her arms folded.

From her place on the other side of Byakuya, Celes grinned and nodded in agreement. "Yes, as well as the state of the corpse. We found a blade stuck inside Enoshima's abdomen."

"The Monokuma File also states that her neck was snapped, but does not state the exact cause of death." Kyoko held up her ElectroID, showing a photo she must have taken earlier of Junko's corpse. "It wouldn't make sense for her to be killed by both of these injuries, both which are fatal on their own. Therefore, my suspicion is that the stab wasn't what killed her."

"Excellent observation, Kirigiri. We can say for now that the stab was to catch her off guard, and then the culprit used that time to snap her neck."

Chihiro blinked. She thought back to this earlier evening's investigation before she remembered a crucial detail. "That doesn't make sense, though," she spoke up. Her sweaty fists clenched down on bunches of her sweatshirt as everyone's eyes turned to her. She directed her attention towards Mukuro. "Before you left the laundry room at the start of the investigation, I believe you told Kyoko that Junko has some experience in martial arts from practicing sparring with you. Matter of fact, didn't you tell me on the first day that she's always keenly alert?"

Mukuro stared at her as she processed what she was told, then nodded in confirmation. "That's right! There's no way she could've been taken by surprise, and that's why the laundry room's trashed."

Taka groaned in frustration, most likely still overcome by what's happened tonight. His hands rested on the podium while he leaned forward. "Who could possibly be strong enough to fight against Jun-chan?!" No one chose to question his nickname for the deceased gambler.

"I agree, who? Junko trained with me in self-defense. Given what I've seen from her over the years, only a few people could possibly hold her off."

"That leaves... Hmm... Saya-san, Mukuro-san, Touko-san, and Kyoudai..." The doujin artist's eyes widened at whom he was referring to, and quickly jumped to defend Mondo. "B-But Kyoudai has an alibi which can be confirmed true!"

Mondo nodded with a huff. "Yeah! Also, _Leon_ ain't all that innocent, either!"

Standing diagonally across from him, Leon's jaw dropped in shock. "What?!"

"Ya heard me! It's 'cause of your baseball knowledge. To truly know the sport, you've gotta have trained in it, right?"

"N-Not necessarily... I mean, you're right that I used to play baseball, but Hiro's the goddamn SHSL Baseball Player!"

"Hey, I have an alibi!" Hiro exclaimed. "Come on, man, the two of us went to the cafeteria _together_ , at the _time the murder occurred_ , no less!" This was enough to get Leon to shut up.

_Leon was never on the list of possible suspects, anyways_ , Chihiro recalled. _Hiro's alibi proves him innocent, and so does Mondo's. Now that I think about it, Sayaka's on that list as well, but her alibi can be proven. Who else are we missing...?_

"This bickering is getting us nowhere."

... _Right... Him._

She glanced at Byakuya from the corner of her eye as he continued. "Junko Enoshima was murdered because of the motive, right? **Wouldn't it then make sense for Leon to be involved in it somehow, given he is supposedly Junko's match for the motive?** "

She blinked. _How did he...?_ She needed to bring what he was saying to light, even if it meant using evidence not found during the investigation.

_I remember thinking about the last time Junko and I had an actual conversation, one before this afternoon..._

_  
_

**Accessing Memories...**

 

_I think it was when Celes and I were creating the list of the Beatitudes and which people owned which line. Junko had come up to ask us for ours, but then ran off before we could ask for hers._.. _Yes, that sounds about right._

Her eyes widened.

_That's it!_

 

**Verbal Bullet x1 Aimed: Byakuya Togami**

**Evidence - Junko's Behavior**

 

"Now wait a minute!" she spoke up, interrupting Byakuya from saying any more. She could tell he was irritated by that and by her in general, but she must continue.

 

**Verbal Bullet x1 Fired**

**Argument Shattered**

 

"What is it?" he questioned her. He may sound calm, but the look he gave her showed how he did not appreciate her intervention.

"Over these past couple days, Junko never told any of us what her Beatitude said," she explained. "All she did was ask around about others' Beatitudes." Her eyes narrowed at him. "How could you know she and Leon are a possible match?"

Around the two, she could hear the others coming to the same realization as her. When she gave a quick look towards Mukuro, she could see the surprise on her face, meaning not even she, Junko's own sister, knew what the unknown Beatitude was.

"' _ **Blessed are the poor in spirit...**_ '"

All eyes turned to Celes, who was casually twirling a lock of hair around her claw-ringed index finger. Chihiro hummed in confusion.

"Hm? I'm sorry?"

"If Togami truly believes Kuwata was Enoshima's match for the Beatitude motive, that that must have been her line."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Makoto asked.

"Please enlighten us, milady!" Hifumi pressed on.

She grinned. "All of you know that I have been keeping a list of who has which lines of the eight Beatitudes in order to match people together." She held up the notepad that she took out from a pocket in her skirt. "Using this, I can confirm that Kuwata's line is ' **_... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven_** ', meaning it is indeed possible those two could be matches. However, there is one little problem... which will come into light once every one of us tells our lines out loud."

Chihiro then knew what she was trying to do. By revealing everyone's lines for the Beatitudes, they could narrow down the suspects as well as answer her question as to how Byakuya knew of the chances of Leon and Junko being matches. She had to calm down for a second, remind herself that they were only going to say their lines and not the secrets that came with them. 

To start them off, Celes went first. "' _ **Blessed are those who mourn...**_ '"

From her, they went in a clockwise direction, so Leon went next. "' _ **... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.**_ '" 

"' _ **Blessed are the merciful...**_ '" Touko continued, managing to not stutter.

Hifumi. "' _ **Blessed are the peacemakers...**_ '" 

Makoto. "' ** _... for they shall inherit the earth._** '" 

Sayaka. "' _ **... for they shall be called the children of God.**_ '"

Kiyotaka. "' _ **... for they shall be satisfied.**_ '"

Mukuro. "' _ **Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...**_ '"

Sakura. "' _ **Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness...**_ '"

Kyoko. "' _ **... for they shall see God.**_ '"

Mondo. "' _ **... for they shall obtain mercy.**_ '"

Aoi. "' ** _... for they shall be comforted._** '"

Quietly skipping over Junko's spot, Hiro said his line. "' _ **Blessed are the pure of heart...**_ '"

Chihiro. "' _ **Blessed are the meek...**_ '"

And then, finally, Byakuya was the last to speak. "' _ **... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.**_ '"

Those who have come to memorize the eight Beatitudes, even those who learned them over the past couple days, immediately understood the problem Celes was referring to. The detective in question maintained her confident grin. Sakura hummed in acknowledgement, while Byakuya turned his head away to avoid the eyes of others. Chihiro, upon the realization, looked towards Celes as she filled in the missing names on her list before she read it out loud.

 

 

_Blessed are the poor in spirit, (____)_

_for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Leon Kuwata?)_

_Blessed are those who mourn, (Celestia Ludenberg)_

_for they shall be comforted. (Aoi Asahina)_

_Blessed are the meek, (Chihiro Fujisaki)_

_for they shall inherit the earth. (Makoto Naegi)_

_Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (Mukuro Ikusaba)_

_for they shall be satisfied. (Kiyotaka Ishimaru)_

_Blessed are the merciful, (Touko Fukawa)_

_for they shall obtain mercy. (Mondo Oowada)_

_Blessed are the pure of heart, (Yasuhiro Hagakure)_

_for they shall see God. (Kyoko Kirigiri)_

_Blessed are the peacemakers, (Hifumi Yamada)_

_for they shall be called the children of God. (Sayaka Maizono)_

_Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, (Sakura Oogami)_

_for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Byakuya Togami?)_

_  
_

"Now, there you have it," she said afterwards. "As you may have come to figure out, Enoshima's line has been revealed to be ' _**Blessed are the poor in spirit...**_ ', like I've stated. In addition, Togami and Kuwata both have the same line, but different matches." 

"Since Sakura goes with either line..." Makoto started before trailing off. 

"It means one of them is innocent," Kyoko finished for him. 

"Yeah. Also, according to the list of alibis I made, Leon came into the cafeteria with Hiro half an hour before dinner, which is around the same time Junko died. However..." He cast his eyes upon the model far from him. "Byakuya, you came in approximately fifteen minutes after her death."

"All of this evidence points towards him," Chihiro concluded. "He's our prime suspect now."

**End of Class Trial #1, Part 1**


	11. Breaking the Calm (III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Ten of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> As the Class Trial continues, the students have found their first possible suspect, but now there's a new question surfacing...
> 
> Did the murder truly go down the way they thought so at first?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY for such a late update! School has been kicking my ass lately, and final exams are next week. I'll try to get in the last part to the Class Trial after school ends, which will be after June 3rd.
> 
> Look forward to it!

**Begin Class Trial #1, Part 2**

The courtroom's atmosphere grew heavy, especially as everyone stared at Byakuya, the prime suspect for Junko's murder. Meanwhile, he said nothing in his defense. He did nothing, other than stand at his podium with his arms folded. 

It made sense, really. He always did consider their stay here a game.

"Anything to say in your defense?" Mukuro asked him, breaking the silence. Fury was slowly welling up in her eyes. In her fists, Junko's bows could be seen sticking out from the top. "Slip up, and I just might avenge my sister right now."

On her left side, Sakura reached out and placed a hand upon her shoulder. She gave her a warning look. "Do not let your anger and grief get the best of you."

Mukuro shrugged her hand away with gritted teeth. "He's the prime suspect, though! If you really think about it, models can have dangerous fans, especially stalkers." She turned her gaze to the model in question. "Doesn't that mean you've learned self-defense?"

Chihiro, Kyoko, and Celes stared directly at her, impressed that she was able to come to that conclusion on her own. "This does explain the state of the room and its signs of struggle," Celes said. "Matter of fact, you were right on the mark when you suggested Togami knows self-defense, in which he truly does. 

She nodded in understanding. "Let's come to a conclusion already. **Byakuya tried to kill Junko with that blade but she fought back, and they kept going at it until he killed her!** "

While the others let Mukuro's suspicions sink in, Chihiro was already thinking of what was missing. The idea of Byakuya and Junko fighting did match up with some pieces of evidence of this case - the state of the room, Makoto's list of alibis, her and the other two investigators' list of possible suspects. She believed not everything from the investigation was matching what they've learned so far, however.

Back in the laundry room, there were two things strange about it. She needed to recall them quickly before the others made the wrong assumptions.

 

**Accessing Memories...**

 

_Remembering what Mukuro told about Junko's habits when doing laundry, she checked the machines. There weren't any clothes in the dryer, much to her confusion, but then she looked down. She spotted the foldable clothes from the small pile she had given Junko earlier in the afternoon scattered with other girls' laundry on the floor. Water surrounded the pile which explained the squishing sounds she heard._

_Odd - washing machines are programmed to drain all the water after a cycle is completed. Why would all of this water be here? Was the cycle abruptly stopped halfway through?_

There's more to this, she decided. There's something else other than that.

 

_"Chihiro." Standing up and turning around, she found herself facing Kyoko. "I believe you'll find something useful out of this, which was found by the body." Her gloved hand passed onto her what looked to be a very thin strip of purple fabric. "Unlike the other clothes, this was dry, so it most likely came from the ones on the clotheslines."_

_"I've seen this fabric and color before," she muttered in reply. Realization struck her soon after. "Oh! This is from Sakura's cardigan from the first couple days!" She stared down at the belt in confusion. "What was it doing by Junko, though? There's no way the belt could've fallen out after falling to the ground during the struggle."_

_"Could have this been the intended weapon for murdering her? Strangling her with this would have made the job less messy, but of course the state of the room tells us drastic measures were taken."_

_"Perhaps. We can assume that for now until we find more clues."_

_"I agree with you."_

Her eyes widened as the pieces came together.

_That's it!_

 

**Verbal Bullet x1 Aimed: Mukuro Ikusaba**

**Evidence - Wet Laundry**

**Evidence - Sakura's Cardigan Belt**

 

"Wait!" she objected. Looking across the circle, she made direct eye contact with Mukuro. "Something's not right!"

 

**Verbal Bullet x1 Fired**

**Argument Shattered**

 

Mukuro stared back at her, expressing both confusion and frustration. "How could I be wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm not saying you're entirely wrong... but something doesn't add up. For one thing, considering if Byakuya was ever in the laundry room at a time today, we haven't discussed why either he or Junko were in that room to begin with. The wet laundry on the floor proves why Junko was there, but Byakuya's purpose remains a mystery." 

"And that's important because...?" 

Before she could speak, Kyoko answered the question for her. "It's important because it'll explain who entered the laundry room first and why. I can tell that Chihiro believes something seems off about the timing of this murder, and frankly I concur."

"Exactly. We know she went to do hers and other girls' laundry because she volunteered to do so, and Mukuro mentioned earlier this evening that she works on the hangable clothes first. Therefore, she must have gotten her snack in the cafeteria while the hangable clothes were close to finishing in the washer and then went back.

"Also, we've yet to mention the possible use of Sakura's cardigan belt, which was found by Junko's corpse." 

"We believe once the clothes were hung to dry, the belt was taken from the cardigan as a way of strangling somebody."

"Ohh..." Makoto mused as he came to a realization. "That makes sense! So, according to my alibis, Mukuro last saw Junko around 6:10 PM because she was returning to the laundry room to hang the hangable clothes and then wash the foldable ones... Byakuya..." He turned his attention to the blond. "Did you ever enter the laundry room?"

"I have, actually," he answered. "Just a few minutes before six, actually."

Upon this revelation, Makoto flashed his eyes towards anybody who was staring at him. He and Chihiro shared a nod in silent agreement, and Aoi voiced her realization.

"Ah, I get it now!" 

"Yeah, same here," Sayaka followed after her.

Hifumi hummed. "This certainly makes much more sense."

All the while, students such as Hiro and Leon still stood in confusion. "Mind elaborating for the slower people here?" the former requested.

"Byakuya truly does connect to this murder," Chihiro began. "There was indeed a fight, and there was self-defense involved. However..."

She locked eyes with Mukuro, whose own darkened as she came to understand what truly happened. "If Junko believed Byakuya was her match for the Beatitude motive, then that means she was planning on committing a murder... That cardigan belt... was meant to strangle him to death."

**End of Class Trial #1, Part 2**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am aware of that this sounds a little Sayaka-like... But c'mon, this is Junko we're talking about.


	12. Breaking the Calm (IV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Eleven of the Blessings Arc**
> 
> Now that the students understand the scenario in which the murder took place, it is time to reveal the culprit! Read along as our Lady Luck leads the dramatic conclusion to the first arc of our story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... seriously have no excuse whatsoever for such a late update other than my procrastination. I normally take the summer off from writing to relax more, and I start writing again when school starts, and yet it still took me this long to update this story even though junior year started for me back in late July.
> 
> I've been getting a lot of kudos updates for this story, so I'm really happy there have been people who still enjoy reading, and I'll make it known right now that I have no plans on abandoning this story whatsoever.
> 
> Hope must live on...!
> 
> ... Or should it? Upupupupu...!
> 
> Now, without further ado, the long-awaited update on the Class Trial!

**Begin Class Trial #1, Part 3**

"Hold on!" Taka exclaimed. He looked around frantically. "If Bya-kun truly is connected to this murder, and if Jun-chan truly was trying to kill him before her untimely death, then why isn't he that suspicious anymore?" 

Mondo hummed. "Wouldn't that make the evidence point to him even more? He might've been strong enough to hold her off and kill her in self-defense."

Celes answered him with first a shake of her head and then words. "No, and that's because he was too busy fighting her off to kill her. She attacked him with the cardigan belt in hopes of strangling him. If anything, he was simply trying to get away... Does that sound about right, Togami?" While resting a hand against her cheek, she tilted her head to look over Chihiro and straight at the model beside her.

Byakuya responded first with a "Tch!" and then by saying, "It took you lot long enough. Oh, by the way..." He shot an annoyed glare at Taka. "Do not call me 'Bya-kun'."

"Why would you keep that a secret?" Makoto questioned. 

"Upupupu~ Allow me to answer that!" Sitting on his throne, Monokuma raised his paw, the side with his evil grin seemingly curled more into a smirk. "Y'know that body announcement that goes off after three people find the body? Pretty Boy here was only one of them, the first of them! He witnessed the murder right before his own four eyes!" He giggled at his little glasses pun, causing a groan from some of the students. "It wouldn't be such a fun trial if he just blurted out who the blackened one is, so I made him promise to keep his mouth shut!"

Hifumi blinked in confusion. "What were you doing in there, if I may ask?"

"My cross-tie was soaked, so I was leaving it to dry on the clothesline." Blue eyes darted to Leon. "After all, _somebody_ decided 'accidentally' spilled water on me this afternoon." The redhead said nothing on the matter.

"So what you mean to say," Mukuro said, "is that Byakuya is just a witness? _Someone else_ killed my sister?!"

"YYYYep!!"

This put things in a whole new light, as Chihiro expected. Now that suspicion was off of their former suspect, they needed to focus on the evidence even more to figure out who the real culprit was, but there wasn't enough to point towards one single person. She could use this _new_ piece of evidence, though... 

"Even though you can't state who was behind the murder, Byakuya, can you at least give us a hint?" She then glanced at the bear, who nodded in approval of her request.

The blond boy stared down at her. "I suppose so, since my hint should be simple enough for even the idiots over there to understand." Hiro and Leon, taken aback, sent a glare his way that went ignored. He cleared his throat to speak out loud.

 

" **Let's just say... this person is more merciless than you'd think.** "

 

_Merciless..._ She gazed upon her classmates for a clue until her eyes fell on one of them. Everything fell into place right there and then. _No way...! It can't be... but it makes sense now. I can imagine what happened now._

With a gulp, she announced, "I know who did it!"

Celes grinned. "It's good to know I wasn't the only one who figured it out."

"Explain it in full detail, if you can," Kyoko suggested.

Nodding her head, she reached out to grip the podium. She opened her mouth, ready to explain everything right there and then.

 

**Begin Scenario Discussion**

 

"It first started a couple days ago, after the motive was distributed. Even though Leon and Byakuya have the same finishing line for the Beatitudes motive, Junko was convinced the latter would be her match, and so she began plotting. Then, this afternoon, the incident between Leon and Byakuya happened, and after that she volunteered to do the girls' laundry while Byakuya was coincidentally heading to the laundry room to hang up his cross-tie. She went by each of us to see if we had any laundry we can trust her with, but her real goal was to get something that might be used as a murder weapon. That's why she settled with Sakura's cardigan belt and left it out once the washer was on, since it was a simple weapon that wouldn't result in leaving any stains. 

"However, when she tried to attack Byakuya, she wasn't expecting for him to be able to fight back; you can say she was gambling her life on the fact that she's strong from sparring with Mukuro. The struggle ensued, causing the laundry room to be left in disarray, and for Junko's right wrist to be broken in the process. Little did either of them know that someone else was watching them fight, and this person was obviously enraged by the sight of it. They proceeded into the room, but wasn't thinking when they stopped the washer and water spilled all over the floor so they could search for a certain weapon."

To emphasize this, Chihiro reached into the pocket on the inside of her sweatshirt and took out the blade from the investigation. "This was found lodged in Junko's stomach, and now understanding where this surely came from, I can predict that the culprit was so used to using this weapon that they were willing to search for it. Once it was found, they made sure Byakuya was out of the way before slashing Junko's left arm. While she was left in shock from the sudden attack, the culprit stabbed her in the stomach to knock her off guard, and then pushed her back and downwards with enough force to snap her neck against the edge of the laundry room's sink.

"After Junko's instant death, Monokuma had Byakuya, the star witness, promise he would remain silent about what happened so he could hold this Class Trial. Those two as well as the culprit - who has been quiet throughout this entire trial, might I add - then left the crime scene for the rest of us to discover later."

 

**Scenario Discussion Complete**

**Reveal the Culprit!**

**  
**

**_Chihiro Fujisaki_ **

**_Byakuya Togami_ **

**_Celestia Ludenberg_ **

**_Leon Kuwata_ **

**_Touko Fukawa_ **

**_Hifumi Yamada_ **

**_Makoto Naegi_ **

**_Sayaka Maizono_ **

**_Kiyotaka Ishimaru_ **

**_Sakura Oogami_ **

**_Kyoko Kirigiri_ **

**_Mondo Oowada_ **

**_Aoi Asahina_ **

~~**_Junko Enoshima_ ** ~~

_**Yasuhiro Hagakure** _

 

"Please, tell me if I'm wrong..." She locked eyes with the culprit. "... **Touko Fukawa**!"

A collective gasp filled the room. The center of attention became the increasingly heated stare-down between Chihiro and Touko, whose eyes were just as wide in shock. The former didn't want to believe one of her own friends killed somebody, but all of the evidence pointed towards her. Both girls' bodies were shaking entirely.

"R-Really?" Hina spoke up, breaking the silence. She looked back and forth between her two friends. "Touko-chan... killed Junko-chan?"

Across from where Touko stood, Mukuro growled softly. "Touko... How could you?!" She slammed her fist against her podium.

The gang leader jumped. "W-W-What?! H-How could you put the b-blame on me?!"

"Oi, don't go denying it!" Mondo shouted. "What Chi said makes sense!"

"Indeed!" Taka agreed. "I do not doubt Fujisaki-chan's words." Meanwhile, Chihiro sighed in relief that he chose to change his mind on nicknaming her "Fuji-tan".

Leon folded his arms while he glared at her. "You like Byakuya, don't you?"

"W-What does that have anything t-to do with this?!"

"Don't you tend to follow him around?" Sayaka asked, to which the model in question only nodded to confirm this since he was still not allowed to directly explain the murder himself.

"S-So-So what if I do?!" 

"You're the 'mysterious third party' who watched the struggle," Celes calmly declared. "You're the one who grabbed the blade in _your_ jeans, another reason why you were there in the first place."

Kyoko added on from there, "Unlike Sayaka, you don't have a utility belt for carrying a knife. You even showed us, on the day Monokuma was registering weapons with 'special permission', when you got down on your knee to pull it out from your pant leg."

"And you even said you would use your weapons for protecting your friends and Byakuya!" Aoi realized.

"Wrong... Y-You're all wrong!"

"No, Touko." The accuser and the accused locked eyes again. "It's time to end this."

 

**Begin Bullet Time Battle!**

**Chihiro Fujisaki vs. [Touko Fukawa]**

 

**{Shields Remaining: Six}**

**[ >"F-F-Fuck off!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: Five}**

**[ >"How dare y-you accuse m-me!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: Four}**

**[ >"You'll never break me!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: Three}**

**[ >"This Wild Lily WON'T be tamed!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: Two}**

**[ >"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: One}**

**[ >"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!!"<]**

**BREAK!!**

**{Shields Remaining: Zero}**

**  
**

**FINISH THIS!!!!**

**[ >"Everyone saw the weapons I registered, including you! That blade is NOT MINE!!!"<]**

**  
**

Her declaration was poor, Chihiro knew, energy boiling in her chest. _This is where it all ends, once and for all!_

 

**Final Verbal Bullet x1 Aimed: Touko Fukawa**

**Evidence - Weapon**

 

"You've..." she began while her body shook, because she knew the truth, because it was over. "You've... You've..." Taking a deep breath, she stared intensely at Touko that it made the latter jump.

_This is it!_

"YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!!!"

 

**Final Verbal Bullet x1 Fired**

**Argument Shattered**

 

While she calmed down, everyone else listened to how her voice was echoing throughout the room and ringing in their ears. No one could help but pause to process her simple yet powerful statement - especially Touko, who was frozen in shocked. Perhaps it was because no one has ever heard her shout so loudly and dramatically before.

And then, Mondo burst into a fit of hearty chuckles. He gripped the edge of his podium with one hand, his other arm wrapped around his stomach. Hiro ended up picking up and started laughing along, Taka joining in soon after. Even Hina was giggling softly while Celes wore a proud grinL 

"Wow, kid," the author managed to say, "didn't know you could shout like that."

"Man, that scared the crap out of me!" Hiro added.

Taka punched the air excitedly. "Truly impressive!"

"Agreed," Celes said with a nod. All of the feedback made Chihiro blush. "Now, if we may..."

It took a few seconds until Hina reminded everyone what was still happening. "... Right! We're all at trial here! Finish what you started, Chi-chan!"

"Okay!" With a nod and a clearing of her throat, she continued where she left off. "Touko, I agree that we saw your weapons on the day of the registration. However, we only saw the blades while the handles were being hidden by your sleeves. For one thing, your jacket should fit you perfectly because after the motive was distributed, you tried comforting me and said you'd mend one of your own jackets, meaning you were hiding the handles with your sleeves for a reason.

"Secondly, during the investigation, we examined the blade in Junko's abdomen. The bottom of the handle had a latch, so that means it was actually fake. It wasn't even a knife to begin with." She fiddled with the latch of the weapon in her hand, turning it over to unlock the fake handle until she opened the halves and pulled it off. Two ringed handles revealed themselves. "These are scissors, and they appear to be specially crafted."

"If I'm not mistaken," the detective spoke up, "we saw you remove your scissors from both your jacket and your jeans. If you can prove you still have both of them, or you can calmly explain who else could have gotten your scissors, you will be clear of the given accusations." 

But Touko said nothing. She only glanced at Byakuya, who shook his head in disapproval in whatever he knew she must be thinking. And then...

"... Just get to voting already."

Monokuma was soon bouncing in delight in his throne. "Okay, lemme explain one thing here. Yer all gonna vote via an app on yer ElectroIDs only available during a Class Trial once the decision is made to vote. Majority vote rules apply here, so whoever is voted most is viewed to be guilty. The voting will then determine if ya chose the culprit or not. Now, get on with it!"

Once everyone had opened up the app entitled "Voting Slots" on their ElectroIDs, the voting began. Above the throne was a large television screen, and the screen turned on, revealing an animated gambling slot machine. What disturbed them was that the three white slots had pictures of the students' faces.

 

**Activating Voting Slots**

**Majority Vote: Touko Fukawa**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**... Congratulations!**

 

"Whelp, there ya have it, folks!" Monokuma stood up in his seat and began to twirl on one foot. "The 'blackened' student truly is Touko Fukawa!" After a few twirls, he returned to sitting down. "Ya know, I gotta hand it to ya bastards. You guys figured it out in barely over half an hour!"

No one wished to acknowledge the fact he was actually timing how long it would take them to come to a conclusion on a murder. Rather, they focused back on Touko while she fidgeted in her place, avoiding the others' gaze.

"... 'S true," she eventually muttered, loud enough for them to hear. "I-I did it. I k-k-killed Junko."

Similar to the collective gasp that filled the room upon the revelation of the culprit, some of the students couldn't help the sigh in relief that escaped them. Even if it was at the cost of what they had to remind themselves what's coming, they were glad to not be the ones dying tonight. Chihiro, who understood the consequences according to the new school rules posted earlier this evening, knew that now was best to fill in some holes in this trial with a heavy heart.

"Rumors have it that you're never yourself when you're putting up a fight... Is that true?"

"Y-… Yeah…"

"How so?"

With a sigh, Touko straightened her posture to make sure her guilt-stricken face could be seen by everybody. "I-I have... a split personality." No one commented on it; after all that's happened, and being able to tell she's trying to be truthful now, they decided to believe her. "Her name's S-S-Syo. My Beatitude is w-what it is because she always did the fights for m-me when I'd feel w-weakened, and s-s-she'd fight without mercy... e-even killing our opponents or a-at the very least severely inj-juring them. O-Only part of Syo took over when I saw B-B-Byakuya-sama getting attacked, like w-we were working together to protect him."

"Also," Byakuya decided to add, "because of this mental switch, she passed out after the adrenaline rush left her. Monokuma had me tell her to keep quiet when she woke up due to his wanting to have this trial."

"Upupupu! And so, the not-so-great SHSL Gang Leader Touko Fukawa has lived up to her merciless ways! With this, we will end this trial with an extravagant execution to punish the "blackened" student! Any last words, bastards?"

At this point, Touko was at the verge of tears. "I'd j-just wanna say I'm s-sorry-y. I broke the c-c-calm by letting Syo get the be-best of me."

Chihiro was at her emotional breaking point, too, that she ended up shouting, "It was still very admirable of you, Touko!" They stared into each other's eyes again. Not as opponents, however, but as friends once more.

"Huh? W-What're you talking about?"

"Your promise, remember? You've kept it, even after other classmates of ours provoked you." Beside her, she could feel Byakuya's glare on her, but she ignored it.

Leon caught their attention when he raised his hand to speak next. "Chi's right. You kept your cool, even when I called you untrustworthy. And y'know, this all started because I've been so hostile towards you and Byakuya. Sorry about that."

"I'm sorry, too," Sayaka said. "You and I've killed people before for different reasons, but tonight you attacked to protect someone else, showing you're willing to put your life on the line for him." Brushing her bangs out of her face, she flashed an unexpected grin. "Even though I don't approve of your actions, I do find your reasoning respectable."

Then, Byakuya became just as much of the center of attention as his "protector" was. Unlike her, he was a bit unnerved by the looks of insistence on him. He tried to glare at Chihiro since she stood before him, but even she remained unaffected by it as she nonverbally asked if he had something to say. Eventually, he gave in with an annoyed groan.

"Touko Fukawa." The girl jumped at her name being called by whom she harbored a crush on. "You may have been an eyesore to me, a nuisance with your unrelenting stalking over the course we have known each other... That being said, it was that stalking that saved my life. For that, you have my thanks."

This proved to be what brought her to a rush of tears. "B-Byakuya-sama... Everyone... Thank you." She took out a purple handkerchief from her jacket and blew her nose, followed by folding it to wipe her eyes dry.

Somewhere in the midst of the students bidding her their final goodbyes, Monokuma seemed to have fallen asleep. Most likely due to boredom from creating a heartfelt moment, they concluded. The snot bubble that formed was popped when he finally woke up.

"M-M-Monokuma, I'm ready to accept m-my punishment."

"Great Satan, _finally_!" he over-exaggeratedly groaned. He sat up in his throne as a large red button appeared before him. "Alrighty, let's get this show on the road! Tonight's special execution shall feature the guilty murderer, the SHSL Touko Fukawa! Get ready for... **PUNISHMENT TIME**!!!"

"O-Oh, and Chihiro?"

Before the bear pressed the button, the two friends made contact one last time. When the brunette looked at Touko this time, she had a rare smile, made to stand out by her drying tears. What was said next went without any stuttering.

"You were pretty confident tonight, and we both know neither of us are the most confident people. Try to be like how you've been tonight and be a better leader than I could have ever been, especially since I'm not a good example to follow. Do this... and let's make this a promise between sisters!"

Chihiro returned her smile while she wiped her own tears away with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "Right, I'll listen to you... Sis!"

Finally, to wrap up the Class Trial, Monokuma raised his gavel and used it to press the button.

**Beginning the End of Class Trial #1...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming Up Next:
> 
> ~Opening of New Story Arc  
> ~Beginning of Said Arc With An Execution  
> ~Aftermath of Class Trial #1
> 
> And I PROMISE that it won't take me so long this time!


	13. Looking Past the Ache (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part One of the Daredevil Arc**
> 
> The culprit of the first Class Trial has been executed, leaving the rest of the students in the despair Monokuma has been waiting for. In the aftermath of the execution, Chihiro tries her best to cope with those whom her class has lost tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OVER 100 KUDOS!!!  
> Thank you, guys, so much, for showing that you enjoy my story. I'm sort of surprised I've actually come so far in my story to earn that many kudos, let alone see that lots of people are viewing my story. Hopefully I get to keep you guys interested enough to continue~!
> 
> ALSO!!  
> Coming soon, I'll be introducing a special addition for the End of Us series, which will be entitled End of Some. This will contain the point of views of any culprits of murder in this story, as a way of better understanding their mind sets during the time in which the murder took place. My plans are to have them up in a couple weeks since I'll be going on a family vacation starting Saturday, and I'll mostly be focusing on trying to have another chapter update when I get back.
> 
> For now, happy reading!

**Beginning the End of Class Trial #1...**

 

**[Touko Fukawa has been found GUILTY]**

**[Commencing Punishment...]**

 

The first thing that happened was that a pair of the curtains opened, revealing a large metal door as it was opening up. By the looks of the sign above it that read "In Use" in green neon lights, this meant that this was the room where Touko would face her punishment, her execution. Ready to face the consequences, she stepped away from her podium and made her way towards the front of opened door.

A metal collar connected to a long chain shot out from the shadows, through the door, and latched onto her neck. She gulped, but didn't fight against it, she and the rest of the students knowing that any resistance has long since been futile. Within seconds, she was yanked off of her spot, dragged through the dark hallway.

Chihiro showed a concerned frown as she looked among the rest of the students. Makoto and Aoi gazed back upon her with similar amounts of worry which they carried upon their faces. She gave a nod, signaling them to follow her lead and leave their podiums so they may walk through the hallway, the others soon following after her.

Monokuma was already at the end of the hall when they arrived in a room separated from another by an iron fence. The other room on the other side was much larger, the far end of that being a brick wall. A dumpster stood on one side, overfilled with trash and multiple garbage bags surrounded it. No one was able to see the ceiling, making them wonder if this room they were looking at was really located outside.

Then, after they filled what they supposed was the viewing room, the other side began to fill up with over a dozen Monokuma copies. Each robot carried some sort of blunt weapon, all wearing jackets or leather bracelets, some even possessing punk-like hairstyles. This gang of monochrome bears took up the side without the dumpster.

"I'll be taking what ain't yers," Monokuma spoke up as he held out a paw before Chihiro. "You've got on ya something in yer pocket, right?" She blinked before she understood, complying to take out the pair of scissors she still had from the trial and hand it over to him. She watched him drop it on the floor and kick it underneath an opening in the fence. It slid all the way towards the dumpster... until a hand reached out to pick it up.

 

Stepping out from behind the dumpster was none other than Touko Fukawa, only saying there was something "off" about her would be an understatement.

Her eyes were no longer a light silver, but a fierce red. A large tongue stuck out of her mouth, which formed a smirk. She held herself in a way unlike her normally hunched over, panicking form. Rather, her back was straight and her hands were on her hips, displaying confidence and a look of danger in her eyes. To finish off her strange change, she had both of her pairs of scissors in her hands with the handles removed.

_Syo._

All of a sudden, dull thumps resonated, causing everyone to grow quiet. The gang of Monokuma split down the middle to make way for what turned out to be a giant version of the bears, appearing to be even taller than Sakura and wearing a black leather jacket. Up on a screen on the fence displayed a set of words in bolded letters.

 

**|Touko Fukawa's Execution:|**

**|Merciless Showdown|**

 

That was when a pit formed in Chihiro's stomach. Touko's split personality Syo took over to protect their shared body from their execution.

Once the originally-sized Monokuma filled in the gap after the giant one passed them all, Syo tensed up in an awaiting fighting stance while she had her sights set on her opponent. She waited for it to come closer before she kicked off towards him.

It seemed her attacks were too fast for the bear to keep up with. It wasn't even past two minutes that his jacket was close to shreds, and even its body was covered in slash marks. Syo was obviously enjoying herself as she sliced and slashed through whatever she could reach. 

Some of the audience flinched at the shrill burst of laughter that she emitted in the midst of her work. Perhaps she was enjoying herself too much.

"Cuts and blades, falling down~"

She sang such a eerily joyful tune, skipping backwards to avoid Giant-kuma's - as was what the others settled to call the giant Monokuma - feeble attempt at punching her. Given her body being slender and smaller, she was able to dodge any of the attacks thrown her way. She then kicked off again, only this time she managed a high jump right above its head, her scissors above her own. 

"Fall~ Fall~ Kyahahahahahahaha-"

Just as she was in the middle of laughing, one of the originally-sized Monokuma in the back threw a small glass pepper shaker right at her. The force of the throw was so strong it cracked and broke when it hit her forehead. Bits of glass stuck into the skin and droplets of blood seeped out. At the same time, the pepper had formed a falling dust cloud over her face. 

"Kyaha-... -aha-... ACHOO!!"

In that instant, as she ended up falling to the ground on her bottom, the red eyes turned back to silver, and the tongue slipped back into her mouth. Wide eyes filled with panic looked around and her head turned back and forth. Noticing that a huge shadow was shrouding over her, she looked up in fear at Giant-kuma.

_She switched back when she sneezed!_ Chihiro realized. _That's Touko, not Syo!_

Giant-kuma reached a paw into its jacket before pulling out a black handle. By pushing a button on the side however, a large blade popped out from an opening, the switchblade may as well actually be a sword. It raised the weapon, blade down, but Touko appeared to be too scared to move.

_Oh no._ "T-Touko!" the small brunette cried out. "Touko, move!"

By the time she finished shouting, however, it was already too late. Giant-kuma's knife descended straight through Touko's torso. The blade was driven deep into the ground until only the handle and her bloodily skewered body were visible to the mortified audience. Her hands and feet only twitched for a few seconds before she wasn't moving at all, fear permanently onto her face, her eyes now dull from death.

Chihiro fell to her knees, shaking hands clutching onto the fence for dear life, as the entire scene dimmed into black. Her eyes never left the corpse before her and the rest of the students, some who were now murmuring in fear over the gruesomeness of Touko's execution. Tears were already gushing out in thick streams down her cheeks and she could only choke out sobs instead of words.

It was only minutes ago that the two of them were smiling. The now former gang leader had been trying to convince her to keep holding on, that even after what was to come that they'd still be sisters to each other.

"Upupupu~" she could hear Monokuma chuckle. "Boy, nothing beats ending the day with some good ol'-fashioned despair, am I right?" She felt a paw rest on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Whaddya think, _Dolly_? You're the one who started condemning yer own so-called 'sister' to this death, ain't that correct? Not gonna be surprised if yer in despair right now-" 

"Oi! Leave the kid alone!"

Soon enough, the paw left her shoulder. She tilted her head back to see Mondo push the bear further away from her. From the corner of her eye, she could see Sakura moving to stand in front of him, making sure he no longer had any access to her.

"Don't pick on just one of us!" Mondo yelled. "If you're gonna put the blame on anyone, it's gonna have to be on all of us!"

"Kyoudai is right!" Now beside him, Taka folded his arms with his back turned to her, but she had the feeling he must be glaring. It wouldn't surprise her if both of them were, really. "The majority vote chose Touko-chan. Therefore, you have no right to only pick on one student."

In the back of the crowd of students, Byakuya let out a "Tch!" sound. "You two speak as if she shouldn't feel guilty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hina asked. 

With a huff, he replied, "Do I have to spell it out for you nitwits? It seems I do, so it's best to listen up so I don't have to repeat myself. While Touko Fukawa may have sacrificed herself for my life, and while I am sure none of us were at least foolish enough to vote for anyone other than her as the true culprit, remember that this is all just a game on the survival of the fittest." Through the crowd, his eyes rested on Chihiro's still form. "Since you practically led the trial up to this point, that means you really are the one who condemned her to death, as Monokuma stated. If you don't stop feeling guilty now, you are only going to be vulnerable enough to be killed next-"

The sound of a palm meeting skin resonated throughout the room. Remaining where she was, Chihiro couldn't tell what happened, but she did understand that this meant someone slapped Byakuya. Hina obviously had had enough of him for the night, but she could see that she was still standing where she could see her, so it couldn't have been her.

_If Hina didn't do it, then who did?_ she wondered, and right after that her question was answered when someone raised their voice. 

"You should stop before someone becomes so annoyed with you that you die next, instead."

Chihiro scrambled back to her uneasy feet to see who spoke. Byakuya was standing with a hand to a now reddened cheek, obviously enraged at... Leon? She certainly wasn't expecting him to do such a thing.

"Dude, stop acting like this is a game already," the redhead pressed on. "Two people died tonight, and it'd be really nice if no one else did after this. How about instead of a game, you treat this like _fucking reality_?!" Turning his back to everyone, he pushed his hands into his pockets and proceeded down the hall. "Whether or not you learn to listen to someone who isn't yourself is up to you. Let's just get out of this place already." 

It was with these words that got everyone to follow afterwards. Sayaka had been the first after him in order to catch up and speak to him. Byakuya had let a few of the others go ahead before leaving as well. Sakura, Hina, and Makoto were soon the last ones left, all three staring at Chihiro to see if she was alright.

"How about you and Sakura stay in my room tonight?" Hina suggested, trying her best to make the grin she flashed seem less uneasy. It was working, but only to a small extent. "I mean, unless you two don't-" 

"That sounds like a good idea, Aoi," Sakura interrupted her. She gestured towards the hallway. "We should go back to our bedrooms to arrange for the rest of the night." Then, she glanced at their smaller friend. "Will you be joining us as well?"

Given how much she had cried today, it took a while for any words to be choked out as they simultaneously strained her throat a little. "That would... b-be nice." And given the fact that they lost a friend today, she could use the company of her other friends. 

She let those two go on ahead until she and Makoto were the only ones left in the room. That solemn look didn't suit him, but she couldn't blame him for having it. It actually pained her to make eye contact with him even though she craved to keep looking at someone whom she knew cared about her since her other friends had already left. 

Once she could no longer bear to look at him, she turned around to stare out into the darkness of the room where Touko's execution took place. She wondered if her corpse was still there, or if those Monokuma robots were cleaning up the mess. After all, if Monokuma had set up such a horrible way to die for her, then he surely must've planned elaborate executions for all of them. He would want the area nice and clean for setting up whoever turns out to be guilty in the next trial.

... Why was she thinking as if she was anticipating another trial in the future?

Maybe there was still a bit of adrenaline from the Class Trial, some leftover confidence that she gained from being able to point her classmates in the right direction. But how could she let herself think like that? Her classmates were even thinking of the same thing, that someone is bound to die next.

As much as she hated to admit it, but it wasn't Touko who broke the calm they were trying to peacefully maintain and reside in. It actually started with Junko Enoshima, for her attempt to murder Byakuya resulted in both girls' deaths in the end.

What brought her out of her inner turmoil was a hand gently resting atop her head. Glancing back at Makoto, whom she knew the hand belonged to, she eyed him in confusion. His fingers slowly began combing through her hair, the familiar feeling bringing her some comfort.

"Do you feel okay?" he asked her.

"No," she said in response. 

"Is it because you watched this?"

"... Sort of, but it doesn't seem to be just that."

"Then, what else?"

Chihiro shrugged, unsure of the emotions she was coming to sort out completely herself now that she had taken the time to calm down. "Monokuma's right; in a way, I did despair just a little from watching Touko's execution." She closed her eyes and focused on Makoto petting her, which helped her also focus on her own thoughts.

"It's just... while I was watching her die, I knew she would die and I dreaded the fact that I knew... but part of me was actually looking forward to it." _If that was just the relief talking, then I truly am a horrible sister._

**End of Class Trial #1**

 

 

Hina's bedroom was decked out in bright colors and decorations, from posters of Crystal Drops during their tours plastered on the walls to the blue and yellow paper lanterns that hung from the ceiling. Accessories and body care products littered the top of her dresser, which possessed a large mirror to double as a vanity. Her MP3 player was hooked up to a small radio that released the tunes to her music at a low volume.

As for the owner of the room, she was already dressed for bed - and by dressed, the real word should be "undressed", for she when she invited Chihiro into her room after the latter finally left the execution room, she was only clad in a white tang top and matching-colored panties, and her hair was not in a bun but cascading over her back. Sakura was already in the room as well, only she had on a average-looking set of purple pajamas, and was busying herself with removing the mattress off of Hina's bed to set it on the floor beside the one she must have brought from her own room.

The smaller brunette had chosen to change back into her light green nightgown from earlier this afternoon's nap, and only brought with her a pillow and blanket from her room. She took to quietly watching her friends set up a makeshift bed on the floor large enough for the three of them to sleep on together. Fortunately, it wasn't long before the arrangements were complete, and all of the pillows and blankets were throw onto the mattress. 

"Man, today was stressful," Hina let out a tired sigh, collapsing onto the bed right after Sakura had flattened out the blankets. Her normally clear blue eyes dulled as she stared up at the ceiling. "Part of me still can't believe Junko-chan and Touko-chan are dead, or that Touko-chan killed Junko-chan. It would've been nice if those two got to have a slumber party with us."

Both Sakura's and Chihiro's eyes softened at her words. "This is perhaps the beginning of the fortunes predicted by the tarot cards representing the present," the former suggested. It soon came to the other two that she was referring to when she told their fortunes a few days ago. "Aoi is represented by the Seven of Wands, signifying times of coping and struggle. This is most certainly it." 

"Yeah, you're right, Sakura. All that's left to do is hope that this is the only time any of us will be facing this sort of struggling, right?"

"Correct. As for Chihiro..." She sat down beside Hina and turned to the girl in question. "Ace of Cups, is what I recall clearly - new relations are bound to form, and it was shown with how well you worked together with Celestia and Kyoko during the Class Trial, and how strongly you believed in maintaining a sisterly bond with our friend Touko until the end."

The latter nodded in agreement. "It makes sense, and like what Hina said, let's hope this is the first _and_ last day of suffering. Just because the events that took place today happened, doesn't mean we should let it happen again. Maybe there's a way to prevent any more trouble-" 

Interrupting the conversation by groaning in the midst of stretching her arms out, Hina then grabbed Chihiro by her hands and pulled her down to sit between her and Sakura. Soon they were lying down with her still in the middle. There was a brief moment where the sandwich was incomplete due to Hina going off to turn the lights off, but she managed her way through the dark to make it back to her spot safely.

"We'll talk about that in the morning," she muttered tiredly. In the dark, it was hard for Chihiro to tell if she closed her eyes yet or not. "It's been a long day, so we should get whatever rest we can get."

"Aoi does make a point. I bid the two of you comforting dreams."

Just to hear Sakura describe such dreams she wished for them to have as "comforting" was comforting enough for Chihiro. She felt right at home how she was, snug between her two friends with blankets now covering them, courtesy of Hina. It was easy for her to relax enough and allow her eyelids to droop closed.

When she did, she realized how heavy they've been, as well as how tired the rest of her body was. It's hard to tell when she felt she was drifting off to sleep, but her last hopes of the night were for another dreamless sleep, like what she had been experiencing ever since they all arrived in this accursed school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have taken inspiration on Syo's singing from "DR: Another Episode - Ultra Despair Girls"...


	14. Looking Past the Ache (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Part Two of the Daredevil Arc**
> 
> The second floor has been opened the morning after the first Class Trial. Chihiro and her friends take to exploring, with our Lady Luck making little discoveries in a single classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hereby say now that if I dare promise to have this story updated by a certain time, then it's probably not gonna happen until over a month later, just like this update. You've been warned.
> 
> During the time I was gone, however, I was thinking over some ways to bring more to the End of Us series, even though that requires me to actually finish this goddamn story first. I'm going to need a lot of cheering on (and nagging) if I'm ever going to write until the end!

**MONOKUMA THEATRE**

The despair is so thick among the pawns in this little game~ If they think that I'm through with 'em now, then they've got another thing coming! Wait till I get my paws on 'em again!

But y'know, it ain't gonna hurt any of us if I give 'em a little break. Give it some time and see if anyone grows enough balls that I don't need to use any of my other motives. It's probably too early to bet on anybody yet, but I'm sure I'll get some entertainment out of this.

After all, I did get some good honey out of the last bet with the ol' brains, even if I lost a bit from betting that the bastards would get stumped on who the "blackened" was during the trial.

...

...

...

Aw man, this means I gotta open up a new floor! There ain't gonna be fun for me if they're off exploring some more and getting buddy-buddy all over again!

So, once they're nice and comfy, I'll happily rip the rug off from right under 'em! Upupupupu...!

 

 

" _Good morning, you bastards! It is now seven in the morning, the beginning of the daytime period. Time to rise and shine so we can seize the day once more! And you better do, 'cause something special is in store for ya today!_ "

"Huh? What gives?" Hina wondered out loud, exiting her bathroom while drying her face with a small towel. She removed it once she was sure the water she splashed on herself to wash up was all gone. "'Something special'? On the morning after a Class Trial?"

"I say we take heed when we get the chance to investigate what Monokuma's announcement is about," Sakura suggested as she fixed her hair with a comb.

Chihiro sat beside her on their makeshift bed. After a quick trip back to her own dorm, she had come back here to spend the morning getting dressed with her friends. Wearing a simple green dress, she worked on her hair with a brush.

"You're right, Sakura. We can't be sure what he's planning this time."

"Wellllll maybe it's a reward!" The other two stared at their idol friend weirdly. She pursed her lips. "Think about it. Last night we had a Class Trial and we won. Doesn't that mean we'd get a prize in return?"

"I thought the 'prize' was being allowed to stay alive... Even at the expense of Touko... you know."

Hina walked over and patted Chihiro's head. She wore a sad smile. "Right, I haven't forgotten about that. Just because we lost a friend, though, doesn't mean we should lose hope now. Touko-chan would want us to be brave and move forward, because we three have to be sisters here!"

It was a feeble attempt to make her feel better, but Hina was right. Touko's final words to her were to stay confident and become a good leader. How she could possibly do that was beyond her knowledge, but she believed in keeping her friends' promises whenever they were asked of her. She had to wonder how her other classmates are capable of being team leaders. If she was going to keep that promise, she needed to find a good place to start out, so she has to accept how things are now to improve in the future.

With this in mind, she managed a smile of her own. "Being an idol really does suit you, doesn't it, Hina?"

 

 

Everyone met in the cafeteria for breakfast, albeit with reluctance. No one seemed to have a big enough stomach despite the heaps of stew Hifumi warmed up since dinner was left untouched due to the Class Trial. They only ate enough to satisfy the grumbling in their stomachs in dead silence. Glares were sent in one direction, at Monokuma when he entered the room. He feigned jumping out of fear but continued his way towards the table they were all gathered at.

"Whaddya want, bear?" Mondo grumbled.

"Upupu~ Look at the lot of ya, all despaired and stuff." He wrapped his paws around himself. His face and belly reddened slightly. "Ahh, the despair turns me on~" 

"Geez, get outta here before I break you. I don't even give a damn about those school rules." Taka rested a hand on Mondo's shoulder and squeezed it to calm him down. He sighed. "Y'lucky I got this guy to hold me back."

"Please proceed with whatever announcement there is," Hifumi insisted.

Monokuma folded his arms. "Ah, alright, since the fat one talked to me politely." He cleaned his throat. "Well, since you guys passed the first Class Trial, I decided to be super nice; don't expect a lot of kindness outta me, though!" Somewhere among the crowd, there was a mutter of never planning on expecting that, though it was so quiet it was hard to identify who said that. "To reward ya for that... I'm opening the gates to the second floor!"

"'Second floor'?" some of them questioned. In that moment, they all recalled the hall monitor's proclaimed "Hope's Peak Academy Regular Report" meeting from the first day.

_"Mukuro and I found a stairwell to the second floor near the storage room, blocked by a metal gate," Junko began the report. "She and I tried wriggling it open, but it wouldn't budge."_

"That gate... That one my sister and I found," Mukuro explained out loud. Her head was down, her fists on the table, her food untouched. 

"Yup, yup, that's the one! Point to the Million Yen Baby over there!" The bear ignored how she grit her teeth and stabbed her fork into a piece of beef in her stew. "Once yer done here, you can go over and see for yourselves that the gates are opened. Feel free to explore to your hearts' content!"

"Uhh... Hey, question?"

"In a way, Little Leaguer, that _was_ one, but you can go ahead and ask another."

Hiro sat in his seat in confusion for a few seconds before he understood. "Ohh... Anyways! It's about the school rules on our ElectroIDs. One of them says that if we'd been peaceful for a long amount of time, you'd open up more areas."

"Uh-huh! Just like the second floor!"

"Well, then, how long would a 'long amount of time' be?"

"Two weeks!"

Chihiro was quick to recall what they've done so far since the day they were trapped inside this school. It was on the third day that Monokuma distributed the motive and said they had three days for someone to be killed. Junko died yesterday, the third day of the time limit, leading up to the Class Trial as well as Touko's execution. That only meant... _six days_. Only six days have passed, and things were already sent into chaos. She could tell by the others' faces that they shared in her inevitable disappointment.

To her surprise, Hina stood up and gazed upon Monokuma with a defiant smirk. "Yeah, well, guess what? All of us are gonna make those two weeks this time. Believe that!"

"I-I agree!" Makoto suddenly spoke up, standing up to join her. "Bring on whatever you have. We'll take you on." He glanced at Chihiro. "Do you think so?" 

_Would it be wrong of me to say I don't? After all that's happened... I wonder if we really stand a chance..._

Nonetheless, she slowly got out of her seat, using the table to support herself. "Do you have any more motives to throw at us?" It was weird, her voice. It was if speaking was foreign to her... No, that can't be it. "You'll see, Monokuma, hope will..." She blinked in confusion, but begged silently that no one noticed her behavior. "Hope... will always find a way to shine through."

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Chi-chan!"

"Oh? Does Dolly _really_ think that?"

"B-But of course-!"

"Fine, fine, whatever ya say!" Monokuma rubbed his paws together. "Gonna guess you lot're gonna explore the next floor after breakfast, but it doesn't even look like some of you won't even make it up the stairs without barfing. Better not throw chunks anywhere. I'm yer headmaster, _NOT_ yer janitor!"

 

 

Kyoko was the first to enter the girl's changing rooms when she read the sign in front for the entrance to the school's swimming pool. It was the first thing her group with Celes, Makoto, and Hiro discovered, having been the first four to finish breakfast before leaving the cafeteria to begin investigating the second floor. According to the rest, she completely ignored their insistence to keep looking around, and told them to go without her. Wanting to look into the swimming pool area herself, Celes decided to go after her to see what it looked like.

She described there to be a large Gatling gun hanging on the ceiling between the male and female changing rooms that would lead into the swimming pool by passing through. On the wall below it was a sign explaining that any student who tried using their ElectroID, their source of admission into these rooms, to enter the room not according to the recorded sex on said ID would be "thoroughly punished". The pool area itself was said to be incredibly spacious even with the swimming pool taking up most of the space.

"Apparently, Kirigiri always wears a swimsuit underneath her clothes, which is why she's always wearing loose-fitting sports attire," Celes continued to tell Chihiro. She had been speaking to her ever since she and her group with Hina, Sakura, and Leon were the second ones to enter the second floor. Her cheek was resting comfortably on her hand as she spoke. "Considering this still being a school, she wears a swimsuit for whenever she finds the chance to practice swimming."

"Lucky her, I guess," Leon commented. "Must've been wanting to take a dip ever since she got enrolled here. Gotta hand it to her for being so patient all this time."

Hina beamed at that. "Well, that means she's always had hope this entire time, doesn't it? To still have enough hope to want to find time to do what she loves, that's real dedication there. Kinda like how I still found time to practice my dancing, 'cause it wouldn't be good to be so worried all the time." Chihiro nodded beside her, having experienced what she meant firsthand, both when it came to dancing as well as her own programming sessions with Makoto.

The detective grinned slightly. "To have hope is to not give into despair, and also to still do what you love gives you hope... I think I will contemplate the sound of that to me... Now, you four should continue your own searches. I will catch up later after I relay the information regarding the gun in front of the changing room."

Chihiro's group of four decided to split off into pairs so they could cover more ground. She soon found herself walking beside Leon as they neared a classroom they spotted across from the second floor bathrooms, Hina and Sakura preferring to walk straight forward. They opened the heavy metal door together when the heir saw his search partner's struggle.

They weren't expecting to find anything in here, what with it being an ordinary classroom, but it made sense that they still look inside in case they did come across something. Four rows with four desks each lined one side, making sixteen desks in all, and a large desk for a teacher stood on the other end. Now that Chihiro thought about it, there were sixteen desks in the classroom she had woken up in on the first day. She also recalled that when she spoke to Celes and Kyoko for the first time, they revealed that everyone had woken up in classrooms that day, albeit at different times.

_But there are only two classrooms on the first floor_ , she thought. _Did whoever trap us here really make that much of an effort to make sure we all woke up and didn't meet until we got to the gymnasium? Is there a reason for that?_ Not to mention that she was the last to wake up, and it didn't seem like a coincidence that Monokuma's taken such an apparent interest in her.

While Leon inspected a cabinet in the back of the classroom, she took notice of the large chalkboard behind the teacher's desk. The familiar, carelessly written message reminded her of the one Monokuma left behind when she first woke up, and she had a feeling he had purposely left this one for if they were to one day be allowed to make it to the second floor.

_You better come back, ya hear? We miss ya!_

It was a much shorter message than the one from the first day. Nonetheless, she was intrigued by it. Was he mocking them? Or maybe encouraging them to keep unlocking new areas within the schools? The meaning was too vague to decipher for now, but she would surely think back to this later on.

"Hey, Chi," she heard Leon call out to her. She promptly turned away from the chalkboard to look at him from across the room. He jabbed a thumb at the cabinet, whose door was now slightly cracked open. "C'm'ere, you should see this."

She made her way over until she stood beside him before the cabinet. He pulled the door open once more to show her what was inside. Inside, what she saw made her understand why he wanted her to take a look. 

A single manila envelope sat on a low shelf, labeled in scrawl "Junko Enoshima - Beatitude", with the key to her room placed on top. Her eyes widened at the sight, wondering what this was even doing here in the first place. Then again, no one's been to her room because no one had access to it. It was logical to guess that Monokuma confiscated these things from her room for them to find in the midst of their exploration.

... But why?

"We should give these to Mukuro," she decided. "I mean, it's only fair, since Junko's her sister."

Leon nodded. "Yeah, sure. I don't get why these are here, though."

"Me neither, but we can discuss this with the rest of our classmates later." She reached inside to take both items out of the cabinet. "For now, we should keep these until we find Mukuro." 

" _Find me for what?_ "

The two jumped and spun around to see the martial artist in question standing at the doorway, leaning against its frame. To their surprise, she had one of Junko's green and white lace bows in her hair, which was accentuated by the white tang top and light green running jacket she showed up in for breakfast this morning. Chihiro supposed she wanted to still have a part of her, a completely understandable feeling.

She first looked down at the envelope and key still in her hands. With a sigh, she held them out. "These were in this cabinet for some reason," she explained. "We don't know why they were here, but we think you should be the one to keep these."

Mukuro's curious eyes fixated upon her sister's belongings. She slowly pulled herself away from the doorframe and walked past the rows of desks to the other side of the classroom. The items were passed into her care, and her face softened, her mouth forming an unsteady line. She only thanked them with a nod before placing them in her pockets.

They thought that was the end of it, but then she still had one hand in one pocket after stowing away the room key. When her fist came back out, she stretched out her fingers towards the brunette before her. The other one of Junko's green and white bows was waiting there.

"F-For me?"

"Mhm. You helped us during the Class Trial yesterday, so that should've given my sister peace. I think it's only right that you get the other bow."

"I see..." Chihiro reached out and took the bow, running her thumb over the soft lace material once it was in her own hand. "Thanks."

Leon then brought them out of their moment by clearing his throat. They directed their attention towards him to see what he wanted from them. He silently gestured an arm towards the classroom's entrance... where Makoto was walking through. Chihiro placed Junko's bow in the pocket of the dress she wore for the day and hurried towards his way.

The two brunets stopped before each other, eyes locking comfortably, bright hazel resting upon a duller brown and feeling right at home with it. She liked his eyes almost as much as she adored his hopeful smile even though he settled with a slight grin for now. Having such a plain brown color allowed her mind to wander over various things like cookies or soil, anything that made her relax in this time of tension among the rest of their classmates. 

" _Ahemgetaroomyoutwoahem_ ," Leon could be heard muttering through an obviously faked cough. He received a rather harsh nudge by Mukuro.

Understanding just what he said, they shared similar nervous smiles. Makoto was the first to speak.

"I just came to see if anyone was in here. Since it happened to be you guys, I need to borrow Chihiro for a bit, if that's alright."

The redhead waved off the excuse. "You're good, man. We were about to leave anyways."

"Alright. Don't worry, this won't take too long." 

Chihiro was led out of the classroom and into the hallway. She was only curious about what he had to say until he grabbed her hand and tugged her farther away. Then she became curious as to why she was being taken back down to the first floor. He glanced back at her along the way and chose to speak in an excited whisper.

" _Project Alter Ego was a success._ " Her eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten about their project, what with all that happened the previous day. "I snuck away to the bathhouse to check on the laptops and the programs were fully downloaded by the time I opened the lockers." 

For the first time since yesterday, her chest didn't feel so tight and she didn't feel any weight on her shoulders. All that mattered to her was that their artificial intelligence programs were finally ready to use. Soon enough she was the one leading the way with a small skip in each step she took towards the bathhouse because she was excited, because she _knew_ , was _aware_.

If they play their cards right, the two of them could find a way out of this school. They could pave a way out for both themselves and their classmates.


End file.
